


Narcisuss

by PennyForTheGuy



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Abandonment, Anal Sex, Falling In Love, Gay Male Experimentation, Gay Sex, Learning to Fight, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Murder, Oral Sex, Seduction, mental trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-10 09:39:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4386890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PennyForTheGuy/pseuds/PennyForTheGuy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anagnorisis and peripeteia, concepts that were drilled into Timmy's head during college. Useless he thought, waste of money. He didn't really understand how much they meant until he got a job as a body double. Then that meaning hit home way, way too hard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Of the many now useless things Timmy learned about in college, the Kinsey scale and the notorious professor's surrounding research was on the list the made his fingers tremble and palms sweat when picking up the required reading.

As periods passed people has learned that humans tend to rank around the middle of the scale; in others words most members of his species are some variety of bi-sexual. It seemed a bit of a stretch at first but after going to a few bars once he was of age he believed it. In absolute secret he even conducted 'experiments' to see where he might rank. Nothing impressive or even interesting; it just involved him watching various types of porn and seeing if he could get aroused and beat off to it.

But he managed to learn things about his own sexuality. Anything involving a woman or women he loved, no matter how many men were also involved. But just men; he found that only very specific acts and only a few types of guys actually got him going. He was picky with his own sex. By his guess he was about a 1 on the Kinsey scale, maybe a 2.

It was nice to learn that about himself; he felt proud for figuring that out. Pride wasn't something he got to feel often even less so about his own self so he'd take the bits he could get. But after the surgery pride was a little easier to feel.

There were so many things about the whole experience that messed with him but the thought of wearing the face of a man he'd never met niggled at him a lot. Especially while he was still healing, new face hidden behind sterile gauze.

He had no idea what this Jack guy looked like. Would he look good, was he some kind of grizzled veteran or a skinny aged executive type?

'I hope it's good, I hope it's worth it.' he thought desperately as the days to the unbinding ticked down. Towards the end he came to a kind of forced peace with it.

'It's not like I can look much worse than I did, right? I mean, I won't have those acne scars anymore!'

Timmy shook a bit while the nurses were unwrapped his face when the moment of truth finally came. The stabilizing mask, and then the final bandages came off, and his eyes frantically jumped from one person to the next looking for their reactions.

"Perfect!" Dr. Autohn exclaimed. "The resemblance is uncanny!"

The nurses smiled and nodded. Timmy smiled sheepishly half afraid to crack the new face open.

"C-can I see?" he squeaked, his heart pounding.

A nurse picked up a mirror and held it out to him. When he lifted it to his face he forgot to breathe for a second. A blush spread across the newly sculpted cheeks.

'My God! Damn he's...I mean **I'M**...hot!'

The brown eyes were still his own, his wispy light brown hair was greasy and matted, but the face! All of it was perfect, not a scar, not a mar and he couldn't have begged for a better nose, a more heroic chin, for higher cheekbones or a nobler brow. That sheepish smile grew quickly into something much more elated, even confident. It looked great on his new face.

"Wow." was all he could say. Right now he didn't care if he ever paid his loans off this was very much worth it. He was gorgeous now and he loved it!

"Ok Mr. Lawrence we still have a few more things to do, just a little gene modification, gotta take care of those eyes and that hair."

"Ah-k." Timmy said absent mindedly. He was still holding the mirror when the nurse pushed him away in his wheelchair.

The gene mods sucked, they made him feel like his bones were breaking between the cells for days on end. But when the therapy was finally done he had thick, shiny dark hair in place of his light and thin hair, and his brown eyes shifted to green and blue.

"Hot damn, and I thought I couldn't get any prettier." he whispered over the sink one morning. He was starting to understand why some people loved mirrors so damn much.

On top of the therapy they'd also been making him stick to a strict diet, an intense workout regime and even been drilling him on his new background.

"My name will be Jack, I work as an engineer for Hyperion corporation." Timmy tried to parrot the information back but he was being overloaded and was making mistakes.

"No no no! You're a programmer! Not an engineer." Dr. Autohn was visibly exasperated.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"And your name **is** Jack. Remember you're legally forbidden to use your old name now."

"Right, ok." Timmy took a deep breath and tried to imitate the man he was supposed to be.

"My name is Jack, I'm a programmer for Hyperion, ...I" Timmy's shoulders drooped and he let out a sigh.

"Dr, this isn't working, I still sound like myself!"

"The voice modulator will take care of that, keep practicing."

About a week later the voice modulator was 'installed' as Dr. Autohn put it. He was forbidden speech for about two weeks after. It was a relief really. He still had to work out and memorize his back story but Dr. Autohn wasn't drilling him now. The man was too impatient to wait for Timmy to write his response. That and maybe Timmy was dragging out his writing just to make sure the Dr. got frustrated and walked away before he could be harassed too much.

Then his second moment of truth came.

The modulator was turned on. It hummed in his throat for a second and scared the the crap out of him. Dr. Autohn tried to get him to talk and few a few minutes Timmy only clamped his mouth shut and shook his head.

"It's not like its going to fall out, **talk**!" Autohn smacked him the arm.

"Ow!"

Timmy froze for a second after his new voice rang out.

"Oh m-god" he put a hand to his lips. That voice was not in the basement, but it was a honeyed, rich tenor a cut or two above his natural alto.

"Alright, now that voice modulator may cause you some pain for the next 20 or 30…years."

"What?! Awe man I have to talk like Jack for 20 years?"

"Yes, since you signed those documents you do. Now keep talking, say something charming. I have to test the range."

Autohn stepped behind a console and began running test programs.

"Um," Timmy searched frantically for something to say, "Hi; I'm Jack. Youuu're...pretty?"

Autohn rolled his eyes.

"Atrocious! Work on your delivery on the shuttle!"

"Huh? Shuttle?"

The shuttle to Helios as it turned out. A steel tube hurtling towards a multi-billion dollar space station owned by Hyperion. Timmy, now Jack to anyone else was sent up first. It was that morning that his transformation was completed in earnest.

A stylist did his hair and taught him how to put up the pompadour himself. He'd have to do it everyday by contract now. She also made him shave his subtle into a soul patch. He thought facial hair like that was tasteless but he didn't have much choice in the matter. And then he had to dress the part. Those jeans were a tad too tight for his liking, having his shirt half tucked bugged him and the holster strapped to his leg would be something to get used to. Even more so the weight of his pistol.

They trained him to use it just like his new identity but like everything else about him now it felt foreign. As the rocket approached Helios he wondered if he'd have to use it on people, and if he'd even be able to kill anyone. How would it feel if he did?

Real terror overtook him for the first time since this whole experience started.

"What's going to happen to me?" the frightened whisper escaped him as the shuttle docked on Helios. It a way it was the last part of his real self running away.

Once the shuttle locked into the hangar the braces released him and the door opened. Robotically he stood up and approached it. His head spun as he looked out the hangar door and saw Pandora far off behind him and he realized how high he technically was. He teetered and caught himself on the edge of the door, leaning on it and gripping his hand.

"Oh hi!"

Timmy grimaced. There was a claptrap approaching him. The annoying machine did take his mind off his fear just enough.

"Welcome to Helios! You must be the new doppelganger! Just follow me and I can lead you to your corporate liaison!"

Timmy followed on slightly unsteady feet, feeling quite a bit better once they left the hangar. With walls all around he could forget he was in space. He couldn't say he liked the place much. Looked dungeon like and dark what with all the red and black and low lighting.

"Sooo, you're taking me to Jack?"

"That's right! He's very excited to see how all that money and research turned out! He hopes you're worth it all!"

"Great…"

The claptrap lead him to a large office midway up western spire.

"Here we are!" it pressed a few buttons on the door's console, then a small beep was heard.

"Mister Jack; your doppelganger has arrived!"

"How's he look?" the exact same voice as his new one came over the intercom.

"I think he looks spectacular!" the claptrap chimed.

"Crap...alright send him in."

Timmy furrowed his brow. Worry bubbled up again. What if he didn't pass muster?

The doors pulled apart and Timmy strode through, flinching a little when they closed. No escape if things go bad. Up on the far side, typing away at his desk was the man whose spitting image he'd been molded into.

Jack took a few minutes to look up but when he did he smiled. Timmy gulped. He felt confident he measured up but there was something in Jack's smile that knocked him far off base. Real Jack was a whole different animal.

It was obvious in the way he smiled, in how he walked as he approached, in how he carried himself. And especially in how he talked.

"Well aren't I just god's gift to everyone?"

He grabbed Timmy's chin and twisted his head this way and that as if it were a cabbage at market.

"Autohn did good, real good." Jack get go and stepped back but Timmy still felt on edge.

"How do you feel kiddo? Having fun wearing my face?"

"Um," Timmy shifted and quickly hid hands behind his back to hide his fidgeting. "Yes, it's a great face." He was surprised with how smooth that ended up coming out.

But Jack didn't seem pleased. His smile melted into a scowl quickly.

"Goddammit you idiot, didn't they train you? Act like you're supposed to; like me! Stand up! No fidgeting! **Ever**! Confidence, dignity, suaveness! Come on!"

Timmy panicked, puffed out his chest and for a second struck an at attention stance any soldier would be proud of. That didn't please Jack any better so he mimicked him. He shift his weight to one side and struck the same relaxed, cocky pose jack had taken earlier. His employer's scowl faded a hint.

"Better…" Jack said slowly, "Now prove you're me." He folded his arms and waited.

Timmy's panic grew. He wasn't sure what Jack wanted him to do but he was sure he'd be more than just fired if he couldn't do it. What the hell, mimicry was what he was being paid for.

"Better…"Timmy did his very best to copy Jack's delivery exactly. "Now prove you're me." he folded his arms, took the same stance and tried to put on the same expression. Now he really wished he'd taken his mother's advice and gone for some drama classes in school.

Jack said nothing for a few tense seconds. He didn't seem entirely convinced but Timmy held on for dear life, willing himself not to sweat or even blink unless Jack did.

"You've gotta be more than just a mirror kiddo." Jack said his voice low and dangerous.

"I know," Timmy stopped thinking about everything else and just focused on his acting job, "It's not easy being...me is it?"

He reverted to Jack's cocky stance and tried to give the same million dollar smile his boss had. His pause came from a hiccup in identity but it came off as cocky. 'Good.' he thought.

"No, it never is, is it?" a corner of Jack's mouth crept up, almost a half grin.

"I don't think you're ready quite though. Maybe you need to see me in action first. Tell you what," he motioned for Timmy to follow him, "there will be four more vault hunters arriving in a couple of hours. Watch me while I deal with them. Then you'll go down afterwards."

Timmy mimicked Jack's gait as he followed. It was more of a sashay than walk. Jack noticed as Timmy approached his desk and gave a small nod of approval.

"Now buddy, pay close attention ok?" Jack's tone was condescending and sarcastic. He rotated his holographic screen to show Timmy a map of unintelligible marks.

"This here, is a vault." Jack pointed through the back to a bright blue marker, like an A without the cross bar.

"Your job, and theirs is to find it for me. Its down there," he pointed behind him, to the moon, Elpis. "Somewhere on Elpis's surface."

Timmy looked back and forth between the map and the moon for a few seconds.

"Elpis is scav paradise, I heard." his voice was monotone.

"Yeah," Jack sat back down, lacing his fingers.

"And there Crackening opened up huge lava pools…" Timmy continued.

"But," Jack held up a finger, "Low gravity makes it easier to jump over them."

"Low oxygen too." Timmy added.

"Hmm, more like no oxygen. The people on Elpis use Oz kits to survive."

"I'm guessing that map is not really as accurate as I would like?"

Jack shook his head. He drew his finger in a small circle around the vault sign.

"This is kinda a best guess. Really it could be anywhere on the side of Elpis we can see from here."

Timmy sighed, his brow knitted and his brought fingers up to massage his head.

"Hey now, you're a college grad! I'm sure you can find a way, you're also me after all!" That thought may have perked Jack up, but Timmy could not agree less.

He kept rubbing the bridge of his nose; then felt a heavy hand clap down on his shoulder.

"Buck up; this is your job now."

Timmy looked up at his mirror image and gave him a look. 'Why, why me and not you?' it was meant to ask. Jack smiled.

"Good." he brought his hands up like a frame."Heroic determination and defiance! Remember this face for all your badass brawls man!"

Timmy fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"What happens if I die? Am I buried as you, or left to rot? And what about those relatives I can't talk to anymore?" he didn't know why be his annoyance at being handed this impossible job somehow gave him enough confidence to question Jack.

Jack turned away and Timmy knew he'd rather skip these questions but he answered, sort of.

"That's in your contract kiddo."

"Well, could you spell it out anyway...kiddo?" Jack shot him a glare, then grinned.

"That one was convincing. OK, you die, you don't rot but you can't be buried as yourself or me. Can't admit you existed but I'm not dead am I? You'll be cremated and scattered. You can specify a place and religion."

"Over the cliffs outside MT Uni on my home planet. And none."

Jack seemed slightly impressed with how assertive Timmy was being.

"Your relatives, eh, they're on their own." Jack shrugged. "I only have so much to spend you know."

"If I die send them whatever money you owed me. **All** of it. Don't try to cheat them out of money I earned wearing your face."

"Ok…" Jack's demeanor shifted again, but this time Jimmy couldn't really read it. "Deal."

He sat back down and started typing again.

"There's one last thing...take a look at these."

A hologram projector on the front of his desk lit up and two copies of Jack digistructed.

" _And the world just got 25% more handsome!"_ they chimed in unison.

Timmy's mouth gaped open a bit.

"I know they're great huh? These bad boys can shoot at anyone you fight, draw attention, get you some breathing room and if someone kills them they just pop right back up. Course, the unit they'll be housed in runs out of power eventually but I made sure that the guys working on it gave it a way to recharge quickly. Nano-fiber-something-or-other, the point is; you won't have to wait long before you can digistruct them again."

He hit a button and the Jacks disappeared.

"The thing for them will be ready in about 20 minutes. Last minute stuff, they said."

Timmy huffed. He could already feel awkwardness crawling into the room.

He looked down to see Jack staring at him with that same unreadable look.

"What?" he asked.

Jack only smiled slightly in response.

"Whaaaaat?" Timmy put on a sarcastic tone like Jack's. His boss stood straight up and closed the distance between them.

"This is a little strange, but I'm going with it."

Timmy raised an eyebrow and Jack's smile grew. Heat was apparent in his eyes. Timmy was still confused.

"I mean I knew I was hot. I know I am. But this is a little different."

A little bubble of worry popped in Timmy as Jack grabbed his face and neck and leaned in. He'd kissed before; always badly. Always bumping faces and teeth. He'd begged for those kisses; initiated them and messed them up. No one kissed him; no one demanded he open his mouth and let them plunder it, no one held him in a vice grip and kept him right there for their pleasure. Now that such a moment was upon him...he wanted to get the hell away.

Not like this; this was a bad way to get your first good kiss. Not from another guy. Not while he looked and sounded just like that guy; not because he looked and sounded just like him. Timmy pushed Jack, clawed at his clothes and heaved with all his might. After weeks of working out he made Jack stumble and take a step back but he would not loosen his grip.

Jack's tongue was hot and slick in his mouth, he could practically feel the foreign saliva sticking to it. Timmy tried to yell but succeeded only in muffled groans. Mercifully jack let his face go and Timmy threw himself backwards, rubbing his mouth violently. Jack laughed.

"What, never kissed a man? A kiss is a kiss junior. Its a compliment! Or have you just never kissed at all?"

Timmy blinked owlishly at his comments, Jack took it to mean that he hadn't done anything as he suspected. Timmy spat weakly and screwed up his face.

"What is wrong with you?" he turned on heel and stomped over to another corner of the room. Jack followed him Timmy could feel him behind like a gazelle feels the presence of a leopard. Jack grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"Nothing actually. Even though you look like me you're not me, or even related to me. It's not even incest." Jack's smile was pronographic as he ran a hand over Timmy's chest.

"Well, that trainer I hired knew what he was doing."

"Get off!" Timmy batted his hands away. "I'm not interested in this."

Jack pouted. Timmy hated the fact he thought it was cute and that he wanted to learn how to do that.

"Awe, here I was hoping to usher a gorgeous virgin into the wonderful world of hot, mano-e-mano sex."he licked his lips.

Timmy felt a flush creep into his cheeks at those words.

"God I'm hot when I blush." Jack's voice dripped with lust and his mismatched eyes bored into Timmy.

Then his palms started to sweat. That made him worried. Sweating palms meant he liked something. For split second he remembered his old Kinsey experiments, and the few men who he could beat off to. Pushy, cocky, ridiculously good looking, almost to the point of looking fake. Jack fit the bill. He fit fit the bill now.

Timmy stood stock still and refused to look at Jack, clenching his fists to hide the sweat. Jack didn't need to see it to know he'd hit a chord. He moved closer sliding a hand over Timmy's stomach and hooking the fingers of his other under Timmy's belt. Jack was biting his lip and brushing a leg up against Timmy's.

'Fuck! Shit dammit! Fuck!' the blush spread to the rest of Timmy's face and down his neck. His hands kept sweating and he could feel his cock starting to swell. No one ever came on this strong, ever, at all. Dear god above he liked it on one level and didn't care that it was from another guy but reason and logic screamed at him that this was too messed up.

Timmy swallowed hard and cleared his throat.

"Aren't you just a regular Narcissus." he growled. He hoped to cut Jack with the remark. Instead he goaded him on. Jack gingerly lifted his half untucked shirt and snuck a hand beneath it. Timmy hissed at the bare contact, shaking his head. Jack pulled him right up against his warm body and ran his hand all the way up to his chest then pinched one of his nipples.

That shocked Timmy right back to reality. He shoved Jack off and bolted away, almost to another side of the room.

Jack was miffed, he ran a hand through his hair and stared the wide eyed Timmy down for a second. He was debating how much he wanted to chase this guy. He glanced down to his double crotch and smiled just a hint.

"Maybe not today, but soon." he smirked, then went back to his desk.

Timmy looked down and was immediately crushed with shame. He wished the shame would have happened to the raging boner straining against his jeans. He sat down, and took some deep breathes. Thankfully by the time a scientist had arrived with the 'Digi-Jack' projection unit he had deflated.

Timmy turned his impression of Jack back on and got a little kick as the bewildered scientist glanced back and forth between the Jack at the desk and the Jack reaching for the projector. His boss broke into hysterics when the poor guy left, Timmy giggled a bit too. Jack shot him another one of those smoldering looks on hearing him laugh. He looked like he would pounce again then a loud and unmistakable alarm sounded.

"What? Oh what the hell?" Jack looked down to his screen.

"Ahhh, one of those damn claptraps probably got stuck in the last thing you'd want it stuck. Come on follow me."

Timmy did so, again imitating Jack's stride. Maybe he was showing off before. This was more normal.

'Mental note. Jack likes to show off.' Timmy figured he'd have to make a lot of these.


	2. Chapter 2

Killing turned out to be easy and difficult. Easy when you're running for life or just plain pissed off. Difficult when your enemy just won't die or when they have a particularly messy death and you remember that you just did that to a human being.

Sometimes Timmy felt proud other times he felt like putting that Jackobs pistol to his own head. He tried very hard not to think about it too hard. The good feeling lingered more as he got better at fighting. As he ran in circles around Elpis looking for the fucking jamming signal's source he came to especially enjoy freezing stuff, then shooting it and watching the pieces slowing drift apart.

Coming into adulthood in this messy, traumatizing way he was learning that his life would be full of a lot of shit just like dad had predicted. But he realized on his own now that the best way to deal was not to shut up and take it. It was to find some small stupid thing you like and do the hell out of it.

So freezing and exploding kraggons would do as long as he was on Elpis.

His boss he was finding had other ways. Flirting was a big one. A huge one. Jack had not even one atom in his body devoted to shame as he harassed Timmy over the ECHO net.

" _ **Hey kiddo, I never got the chance to go to college. Please tell me you managed to get in on one of those sorority parties I have heard wicked things about them!**_ "

"Did you see pictures of me before the surgery?" Timmy growled back.

" _ **No, didn't really…**_ "

"Let's just say I wasn't in their league." He hoped it would end there but another thing he was learning was that his boss always wanted the last word.

" _ **Ok, cool. Sorry college wasn't as fun for you as I hoped. But hey; plenty of time to make up for lost opportunities!**_ "

Timmy rolled his eyes and focused on the pack of kraggons far below. His ass still clamped up whenever he made a jump.

" _ **Just get that signal down and we may be able to have a little down time before we head to the vault**_."

"How about we keep it professional?" Timmy asked as he wasted the beasts.

" _ **Jeez you are rocky mountain hard. I had an easier time forging concert tickets then getting into your pants.**_ "

Timmy grimaced and pursed his lips. Better to say nothing to that.

" _ **Wait, I think I know what's wrong. Not the same over the ECHO huh? You didn't have any problems with the real thing.**_ "

"I had plenty." he sniped a couple of scavs that were dumb enough to wander away from their zoomy. Anger did good things for his aim.

" _ **Like what? Don't even try to lie sweetcheeks,**_ " Timmy flinched at the pet name, " _ **Your boner told me everything I needed to know.**_ "

Timmy opened his mouth to retort but Jack kept going.

" _ **That was hot, you know that? Really hot. The things seeing you get off made me want to do; woah. And I could tell you what I can do, I could tell you all about how deep I could suck you if you'd let me.**_ "

A heated blush swept up Timmy's neck and face as Jack's voice grew husky and breathy. He gulped hard and his gun slipped a little in his sweaty hands.

" _ **You like hearing about that? Have you ever gotten a good blowjob kiddo? Has anyone even offered? I'll bet they weren't on my level. Wouldn't you like to see me working away between your legs one of these days? I'd sure as hell love to see you down there**_."

Timmy bit his lip, let one hand off his gun and dug fingers into his leg. The pain helped bring him down a bit.

"Would you even be offering if I didn't look like you? Don't think so!" he snapped back, then raised his pistol again and took a jump down.

" _ **Like that even fucking matters!**_ " Jack laughed almost hysterically. " _ **Doesn't matter at all! Look, I'll met you in Concordia after the fast travel is back up. I owe you a drink at least.**_ "

"Don't get your fucking hopes up." Timmy was done with the conversation, he really was.

" _ **You're getting feisty. I love it! Catch ya later Jack**_."

He'd called him by his own name to get under his skin. It worked. Timmy roared when the ECHO communicator cut out and unleashed hell on the scavs rushing him as he invaded their base. What he wanted more than killing was a lay, and he didn't quite know why. Something about Jack coming on to him time and again made him want to find a lady and spear her into a mattress. He just wanted to fuck someone maybe to get the hot blood out of system.

But it was just his damn luck the women he'd run into so far were either scary and taken, or an uninterested ex of Jack, or a fucking lesbian.

"Fuck all this!" he screamed, taking out a scav as the man floated towards him. The lifeless body never came down to the ground but began a long journey out into open space. That was satisfying to see, and almost calming but it wasn't enough.

"Am I becoming a bad person?" he wondered out loud.

"Maybe, stop thinking about it." he told himself as he made his way into Red Belly's base.

Killing the scav leaders was easier than he had expected. Once Red detached he took Belly's head off with a well lobbed grenade and then shot Red's legs out from under him. Timmy sniffed as he watched the half corpse trail blood droplets through the air.

"Can't say I'm impressed so far." a little chill ran down his spine then. Just a few days ago this sight would have nauseated him.

" _ **What the hell where those-oh whatever I'm friggin over it.**_ " Jack sighed, making Timmy heave a sigh of his own.

"Me too."

" _ **Just shut down the fucking signal.**_ "

Once he got up to the control room Timmy stopped and gaped.

"Fuck no. Why?"

" _ **Huh**_?" Jack turned on the ECHO camera on Timmy's jacket and groaned.

" _ **Oh-what the...great its busted! Head up to the roof there should be a maintenance console up there, activate it!**_ "

Timmy was only half thinking about what he was doing. As much as he tried to stop it his mind still played through the grisliest deaths he'd dealt since coming to Elpis. He'd agreed with every non-violent objector he'd ever read about or talked too in college. Human should be past violence and killing! We have higher reasons skills, we can talk out problems and arguments. Can can agree not to get into each other's faces and hurt each other. So why was it still so fucking damn common for a once good person like him to end up blasting apart nearly every other person he came in contact with?

Before he really remembered where he was the last of the scavs were dead. He stood there a few seconds; the eerie silence suddenly precious to him.

" _ **Um, what are you doing down there? No sweat, take your time but…**_ "

Timmy heard the Eye of Helios rev up again and stumbled as the whole of Elpis shuddered under another blast.

"On it!"

He then went back around the roof and destroyed each relay.

"Signal down!"

" _ **BOOYAH! We got light's up in Helios! We got security, we got fast travel…**_ "

" _ **Red? Belly? What the bloody hell is happening? Our override signal just went down!**_ "

" _ **Who the fuck is that?**_ " Timmy caught the dangerous tone in his boss's voice. Since it wasn't directed at him he wasn't scared this time around.

"That's the Meriff speaking."

He was quite pleased that he and Jack knew the Meriff was betraying them. His war of conscience didn't apply to this jackhole.

" _ **Wait a minute, you aren't Red or Belly, awe flip!**_ "

" _ **The Meriff's been working for Zarpedon the entire time! GRAH!**_ "

Timmy cracked a smile as he started heading off the roof.

" _ **I'll meet you in Concordia. We need to have a talk with this guy.**_ "

His stomach dropped down into his boots at those words.

"Like...kill him? Or actually-you know-talk?" 'Please oh please don't make me torture someone.' was all he could think till his boss answered.

" _ **Calm down! We're not going to hurt him till we find out what the deal is.**_ "

Timmy felt only marginally better and continued climbing down. Then the perils of Elpis gave him another swift kick in the balls as his Oz kit gave out. Timmy desperately sucked in the last tiny breathe it could give and bolted for the door to the control room. Once inside he took as many heaving breaths as he could without passing out.

"Need...better...Oz kit. Springs better have one." he muttered, his throat a little raw from nearly boiling in the vacuum.

Once back in Elpis's 'capital' he found his employer waiting by the town's center. Jack seemed all business as Timmy approached, but the second their eyes locked the heat flared in his eyes again.

"You like hell boiled over there kiddo. Need a drink?"

'Yes,' Timmy thought, 'And a meal, and another drink, and a fuck, and then sleep. For three days at least.'

"Yeah, I guess." He slung his Jackobs rifle over his back.

"The Meriff's elevator is still locked, we can head into Moxxi's and brainstorm a little."

They went in and Timmy's could feel the heavy techno music vibrating he empty stomach. It made him feel pretty grouchy.

"My treat." Jack said as he pulled up a seat at the bar.

Timmy sat next to him and the drool inducing figure of Moxxi came up to greet them.

"Hey sugars." she drawled. Her eyes flicked back and forth between them for a second."Hafta say, you were always easy on the eyes Jack. Never thought two of you would be a nice thing to see."

Jack grinned.

"Thanks babe." Despite her compliment the second he leaned towards her she moved away. She turned to Timmy instead.

"What can I get ya?" she flashed him a lascivious smile and leaned down a little to give him an extra good view of her cleavage. Timmy cracked a half smile and raised an eyebrow as Jack would.

"Bottle of Chivas Regal, and a glass. And whatever you have for food, lots of it."

"Coming right up."

Jack coughed and Timmy could see the dollars signs spinning in his eyes.

"Shit you ain't cheap!"

"Consider it part of my pay." Timmy grumbled.

"Why so grumpy?" Jack put a hand on his shoulder. Timmy wanted to shrug it off but figured it'd be safer not to refuse Jack's touch.

"This is a rough job, if you didn't know. Its hard to reconcile. Nothing I think you're really interested in."

'You're right, I'm not." Jack said, turning when Moxxi brought the bottle and two glasses.

She uncorked it for them and poured out the first two glasses.

"Hope you like fish'n'chips, friday night special."

"Sounds delicious." Timmy's mouth watered at thought, he could practically smell it already. She handed him his glass and his palms sweated a little when their fingers brushed. He tried to ignore it and braced himself for the drink. He did not really drink before now. He only ordered Chivas because he knew it was pricey. But he'd be damned if he came off like a pussy now.

Jack raised his glass in a silent toast and Timmy did the same before kicking it back. Holy mother did it burn.

It burned all the way down to the pit of his stomach. He knew enough biology to know he'd be feeling that alcohol in no time on an empty stomach. He knew he'd have a wicked hangover. But he was still young, he knew he'd shake it off quick and he hoped his food would be fast coming so he didn't have to down too many glasses with Jack while still hungry.

It ended up being five glasses before his much longed for meal arrived. He was very tipsy by then. Enough to laugh at Jack's stupid jokes and not be bothered at all when his boss clapped his shoulder or 'accidentally' grabbed his thigh.

He shared some of his meal with Jack but ended up vacuum eating the rest. He tried to make a note to buy rations in addition to a new OZ kit from Springs but wasn't sure he'd remember. The food leveled him out enough to notice how many people were staring at them. They must have figured a set flaming hot set of twins had wandered into Concordia.

Timmy felt a small amount of unease as people stared but Jack didn't the slightest bit ruffled. He kept knocking back drinks till there was only a glass's worth in their bottle. Timmy sloshed it around as Jack tried to convince him to down the last bits.

"Come on, that's damn good booze. I need to get my money's worth." Jack was slurring only slightly, his body was giving off a volcano's worth of heat and his eyes despite being glassy were firmly locked on his double.

"How drunk are you?" Timmy asked, putting the bottle to his lips and gulping down the last drops. Jack closed his eyes and stood up straight, stepped away from the bar and turned his back to Timmy.

He stood still a moment, then whirled around and grabbed and aimed his pistol on one motion. Sober it would have been fast and seamless. It was clunky now but still effective.

"Not much." he finally concluded. "But I don't want to be shit faced tonight. You…"

He stepped back to the bar and put a finger right to Timmy's nose.

"Are much more drunk than me."

"Pfft? So?" just moving his head made him feel a little dizzy and floaty. But he didn't want to admit it. His defenses were way down. But Jack didn't need to be told to know that. He leaned into Timmy and put both hands on his legs, squeezing just a bit. Timmy felt the blush rush up his skin yet again but couldn't bring himself to move he just sat there with no expression on his face. The only giveaways were the blush and sweaty hands.

"So…" Jack lingered on the word, but decided not to finish the thought opting instead to just yank Timmy away from the bar. He threw down some money and pulled his double out of Moxxi's dive.

"Leggo." Timmy broke Jack's hold on his wrist.

"Where the fuck were you taking me?"

That question seemed to stop jack in his tracks. Perhaps in his half drunk state he forgot they didn't really have any arrangements in the city.

"Now I dunno." he looked lost for a few seconds, then looked back to Timmy."Fuck it."

He reeled Timmy in and kissed him again. This kiss was slower, sloppier. The lust involved was on a slow boil. Again Timmy was frozen and this time he just couldn't figure out what the hell to do. He held completely still and just felt Jack kissing him. That tongue thing was starting to feel good; he had way too much whiskey in his system to be grossed out by it. Jack broke the kiss and just stared at the man in his arms for a minute. He looked desperate somehow, like the fact he wasn't getting any attention beck hurt far more than barb or jab Timmy tried to throw at him. He couldn't stop staring at Jack till he heard a gasp in front of him.

There was a slightly hot younger woman across the town center that looked like she was about to have a nosebleed watching them. She could only see Timmy's face and Jack's back. The whiskey seemed to have ideas of its own because without any thinking on his part, Timmy winked to her and then grabbed Jack's ass and yanked him back for another snogging. This time he showed off, he groped, he moaned, he jabbed his tongue into Jack's mouth and made his boss moan too.

By the time the poor girl finally ran off Jack hand a hand beneath his jeans and pawing his ass; Timmy's face was well covered in both of their saliva and he'd tangled his fingers in Jack's hair. That whole thing may have been against better judgement but it felt really, really good. When they finally broke apart jack slumped against the guardrail and bit and huffed while Timmy scouted for any sign of their peeping tom.

"Woof." Jack grinned at Timmy, the heat in his eyes reaching a new intensity. One tiny voice in his head told Timmy to get away. But it was quickly drowned out by whiskey and hormones. Timmy glance down and saw both of them were at full mast. It was only when he looked he finally noticed the pulsing and throbbing in his crotch which only got worse when he looked at Jack's obvious erection.

"Come on."

Jack grabbed him again and led him down one of the dark, covered streets, turning into all of the dirtiest, nastiest corners till they were finally in a dead end alley. There was barely a sliver of lamp light from a seedy store front and Jack pounced the moment he'd dragged Timmy into the deepest shadow.

Timmy was now too drunk and too turned on to care he was making out with a man, his boss, the guy whose body double he was. He felt greedy now, and bitter, and selfish on top of all that. He wanted to have the disgusting, slimy, mind blowing sex people regretted all their lives but secretly thought about whenever they fucked. Most people did that in college. Timmy wasn't even given the chance.

'So fuck it, I'll fuck here. I'll take it here.' he thought in a daze.

Jack only groped and kissed a few more second before moving down to Timmy's neck and biting lightly. Timmy hissed and dug his fingers into Jack's leather coat but the other man was slipping out of his grasp, and down his body. He initially thought Jack was passing out till he felt a tug at his belt and heard the jingling of a buckle coming loose.

"Um…" normal, reasonable Timmy resurfaced for a second. His eyes shot down as Jack was slowly opening his pants.

"Let me?" it was half an order, half a plead. Timmy's cock twitched as he held that lust addled blue green gaze. Just looking at someone kneeling in front of him felt way too good. He nodded and fixed his gaze to the ceiling; he still didn't want to see another man be his first blowjob. He felt Jack's rough fingers grab him and and pull him out of his boxers, then that hand began to pump over him and he let out a sigh.

The next thing he felt was warm, wet lips passing over the head and working down the shaft, and a talented tongue caressing his felt and making goosebumps rise. Timmy bit his lip and grunted, unable to stop his hips from flicking a little further into Jack's mouth. It didn't seem to bother the other man who only took him deeper.

Timmy was trying to bite back the groans; he knew he would have been so fucking noisy if he felt they were completely alone. This felt too good to be believed. Hot and wet and moving and tight and dear god! Jack sucked him hard enough to make his toes curl and then swallowed him. The sensation made Timmy's eyes shoot open and for a moment he was scared that he was choking Jack. He grabbed Jack's hair and tried to tug him back but he refused to moved. Timmy then felt even breathes on the skin of his crotch and realized Jack was still able to breathe; but how?

His tip was down Jack's throat and he could feel every pull and push of muscle as he swallowed again. Timmy groaned openly now and he could swear he felt Jack smile around his cock. His legs shook as jack started sucking him again, pulling back to the head only to swallow him down again in one quick motion. Timmy huffed and kept his fingers buried in Jack's hair, unsure of what to do but hold his hips still and let Jack keep up his amazing work. A knot started growing in his belly and it was starting to be more than he could stand, the pleasure was building almost to pain and he knew he wouldn't last much longer.

He felt a hand tug his pants lower and then reach up to fondle his sack. It made him chew his lip again and moan. He tried to talk and warn Jack but all he could get out was half babbled gibberish. Jack seemed to understand his meaning though, because he worked Timmy even harder.

Poor Timmy doubled over and groaned as if he'd been punched in the gut. He came so hard his vision faded for a few seconds and his whole body felt tingling waves wash over it. He vaguely felt Jack's pleased humm as he lapped up everything Timmy had to offer. When jack finally let him go Timmy slumped down onto the ground, dazed, in complete shock.

Jack grinned wickedly and swooped in for another kiss, Timmy could clearly taste his own seed in Jack's mouth. He couldn't believe what just happened, but more than that he couldn't believe he didn't really regret it.

It felt too damn good to feel bad about and he wanted it to happen again, everyday for the rest of his life. Their wouldn't be a day now he didn't at some point wish someone would suck him off. He was very sure he'd been bumped up to a definitive 2, possibly a 3.

Jack pulled away from the kiss, licked Timmy's face of all things then began suckling his ear.

"Glad you finally gave me a chance babe." he cooed.

Timmy fought back a sheepish smile, glad Jack couldn't see his face as he kept sampling his ear lobe. Then they felt a strong tremor rock everything around them. Jack shielded Timmy from some falling debris and growled.

"Right, like I damn near forgot." he muttered.

Timmy felt a pit sink through him. He had forgotten, they did not really have time to waste on sex. Timmy re did his clothes in a rush and he could feel his drunken haze been shaken off by his renewed fear.

"Later kiddo, more later." Jack helped him up. "We've got business still."

Timmy said nothing in reply but silently resolved not to push this any further. Sexual exploration was distracting. Living was more important.


	3. Chapter 3

Timmy never expected to have to choke back laughter in the middle of a fire fight. Between the Meriff's stuttering and the custom bot's 'betrayed' cries he was having trouble aiming. Thankfully it was nothing for him and Jack to wipe the floor with the scavs who rushed them.

" _Sereena! I speed to your side!_ "

"Kfft." Timmy snorted and grabbed his face, his whole upper body convulsing with contained giggles. Jack glanced at him and smiled too.

"Officer, get that damn door open!" he yelled.

" _I don't take orders from civilians, however seeing as how I was going to do that anyways…_ "

"Um, you're too late...I'm...I...I'm not here! Yes, that's right, I left! See? Not here!" Timmy peered through the huge fish tank in front of the Meriff's office.

"I can see you you dickhead!" He shouted. The Meriff glanced up from his console and jumped at the sight of 'Jack' leering in at him.

The custom bot kept mashing uselessly at the door controls.

" _Huxter T. Meredith, you are hereby under arrest for violating Elpis ethical code 3110 forbidding unlicensed interplay between...OH MY GOD! You stole my girlfriend you MEATBAG! OPEN...THIS...DOOR!_ "

The custom bot slammed the door control and then wheeled back and threw himself into the plasma shield. It jerked and started smoking, wailing in 'pain'.

" _AHHHHH!Seeereeennaaaa!_ "

It fell over in a burnt heap, and the plasma shield short circuited. Now Jack burst out laughing.

"Talk about your win win!"

The two tall, fearsome men entered the Meriff's office, Timmy held up his rifle and pointed it squarely at the man's skull while Jack stalked up and slammed his hands down on the desk.

"Uhh, Jack! Jackie! And, scary twin! You should have told me you were in town! You should have said so!"

Timmy cracked a vicious smile when Huxter called him scary.

"I traced the signal that took down our systems on Helios." Jack straightened up and folded his arms, "Guess what? It came from here...your office."

"Signal?" Huxter stuttered. 'Oh hell no, no playing dumb now.' Timmy thought. He edged up and and slowly jabbed his rifle barrel into the side of Huxter's head. The middle aged meatbag had a rain of sweat beading down his face. His eyes flashed feverishly between Jack the questioner and Jack the gunman.

"Sig-nal." Jack enunciated slowly, vemon oozing from the syllables. Huxter broke into sobs, tears now joining the little rainstorm on his face. Timmy's lip curled in disgust and he poked Huxter's head again.

"Out with it." he sneered through clenched teeth.

"She made me do it." Huxter managed between choked sobbs.

"You mean **paid** you! Did you just miss that last bit of lovely recording?" Timmy growled. He'd had about enough of this guy's antics two days ago. Jack saw him losing patience and held a hand up.

"Hold up, if he's going to tell us anything I don't want to hear him gurgle it through blood. He's got horrible diction to start with I mean just listen to him!"

Huxter snuffled and gulped, and Jack leaned down to get into his face.

"Where did she come from? And please, lie to me. I really want you to lie to me."

Huxter quaked in his chair and was clearly hyperventilating.

"I don't know! Honest I don't!"

"What do you know?" Jack stared into him with a look that might have been able to hold starships in place.

"Nothing! She just paid me to broadcast the signal! That's all! What're you gonna do with me?"

Jack's look changed in a blink to a much less threatening smile. He motioned Timmy to put his gun away which he did. Despite his anger he felt a bit relieved. He really didn't want to have to kill the guy.

"Pff, nothing. I was just messing with ya!"Jack brushed him off, "Now get the hell out of here!"

Huxter stumbled back to get out of his chair and Jack turned around and began heading towards the door. Out of the corner of his eye Timmy saw Huxter take out a black pistol and aim it squarely at Jack's head.

"I've been thinking, there's a way back to Heli-" Jack lurched forward but caught himself as the bullets bashed into his shield. Timmy whiped his rifle back out and was about to shoot Huxter when he heard the tell tale clicks of a gun jamming. Jack whipped around, aiming his wrist laser at Huxter his face now an ugly mask of pure rage.

"I surrender!" Huxter threw up his hands but kept a death grip on his useless gun.

"RAARRGH I was gonna let you live you DUMB BASTARD!" with every word Jack fired another shot into Huxter. The man was dead at the first, for sure the second. Even when his body dropped down behind the desk Jack kept shooting into the window behind him.

"What is WRONG with you?"

There was short moment of silence. Timmy was stunned, and he was stunned that he was stunned. The man shot Jack in the back after he said he could live. He deserved it. But he and Jack went into this not wanting to kill Huxter. And then killed him anyways.

"Woooooooah." Jack shivered visibly and Timmy felt his stomach turn.

"That was...invigorating." His voice had taken on a similar quality to when first came onto Timmy, first kissed him and ran his hands over him. His stomach was turning itself in knots and he felt like he may vomit any second.

"Ok yeah." Jack made his way around the Meriff's desk, side stepping the battered body.

"Where was I? Oh yeah my awesome master plan! Taking the fight to Helios is going to need an army so-we make one. head down to Springs I'll explain on the way. Imma stay here and go through the Meriff's stuff."

Timmy said absolutely nothing, only turned on heel and left the office quick as he could. He could barely process what he was thinking, let alone feeling. He honestly didn't want to. He didn't want to think about what Jack had just said. He didn't want to think about what they had done just prior. He didn't want to think about any of it.

Before he realized it he was running through Concordia, with Jack and Moxxi still yapping over the ECHO. Every time he heard Jack's voice something dark, horrible and hateful wanted to kill and hurt and ruin everything around him. It scared him worse than anything else he had yet run into. At the same time he hated himself for being so damn scared, so appalled. This was life in the fringes, horrible stuff is part of each and every stinking day.

You get used to it, you let it roll off you or it eats you alive. Timmy found himself in a back street, pressing into a corner and trying to hold back his tears. They rolled down his cheeks as he sniffed pathetically.

"I want to go home...so bad."

Now that was all he could really think. 'Home, I want home. Let me go home!' He didn't even really understand it but he stopped trying to rationalize just let the sad, fearful cycle of thoughts work through his brain. When he finally managed to slow down and get some good breathes he had slumped down the wall and hugged his knees.

'That fuck am I doing?' he thought and the home thoughts cycled back through. He couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted to shake it off and keep going to try his damnest to run now. The Eye of Helios answered for him. He heard it rev up again and looked out towards the station. He saw the violet beam strike Elpis yet again and felt the tremors grow in strength. The people around screamed and Concordia shook loose even more debris chunks, getting big enough to be dangerous. This wasn't a heroic moment for Timmy. It wasn't even really a galvanizing one. It was more like a reminder. Keep going or die. Keep working or die in ways you can't even imagine. Timmy didn't want to die at all. Not one bit. So he rubbed his face and tried his best to swallow the lump in his throat, hitched his rifle back onto his back and headed for the ever helpful Janey Springs.

While he was trying to find the 'Pickle' guy she mentioned Jack didn't bother him much. Maybe his boss knew Timmy was taking things rough, but before now he was and Jack hadn't cared. Maybe his boss was back in business mode. Who knew? Timmy was just glad to have quite a bit of (relative) quiet time.

Timmy's already fried brain shorted out a bit when Pickle (a 10 year old) told him about The Bosun (the fuck?) and The Skipper (is this Gillian's Island?) possibly having a good military AI stashed away in an old Dahl dreadnought (who? what? where? how? why?). Timmy couldn't take more than twenty paces away from Pickle's place before he just collapsed. Even the threat of horrible, horrible, fiery death wasn't enough to keep him going.

He lay there for several minutes before lethargically rolling onto his back. Then he finally realized how long it'd been since he'd slept. 48 hours almost straight. That made a lot of sense even to his dying brain cells. He lifted his arm with no small effort and hit the button on his ECHO unit.

"Boss, I know we're pressed for time but I need a few hours, seriously. Absolutely seriously."

" _ **We don't have that time kiddo.**_ " Jack's snarl was apparent even without seeing it.

"Then I'm going to end up jam on the wall and you'll have to come out and do things yourself."

" _ **Ugh…**_ "Jack's other vault hunters were also running around trying to find chassis at four different places, none of which were near enough to scout Timmy's area.

" _ **Ok, 4 hours tops. Sorry to run ya ragged.**_ " Timmy was a little surprised by the apology.

" _ **Moxxi might have a spare bed. Come back to Concordia but I'm making damn sure you get up!**_ "

Timmy was too tired to respond. He spotted a tiny cave with a Oz seal on it's mouth not far off as he pried himself up.

"Coming back would take too long. I see a place I can probably rest. Go ahead and wake me when my time's up."

He dragged himself to the little cave and smacked the button for the Oz bubble. The floor was covered in fine, near downey moon dust. Timmy let himself flop down onto it and was already drifting off within seconds.

" _ **Four hours kiddo. Sleep well**_." Jack's voice sounded far off. He was reluctant to say the last two words, and wasn't even sure why the next few tumbled out.

" _ **You deserve it.**_ "

Timmy was floating, weightless, wrapped in a blissful black abyss. He felt nothing, he heard nothing, he saw nothing. It was a heaven of nothing. Then he felt turning, tumbling; a slow dizzying motion that made him grasp out for something to steady himself. Then he felt he was on his feet; standing on legs that never bore weight before and he was confused and pained not physically but emotionally. He wept and he didn't know why. He was being pulled forward by a feeling of needing to be somewhere but he had no idea where. He kept crying, then calmed for no reason. He was standing on Elpis, the eerie silence of vacuum surrounding him. The harsh whites and blues of the surface burnt his eyes. Helios stared at him its demonic eye following him with every twitch and burning the ground he tread on.

He tried to flee from the eye's baleful glare but Elpis was torn to shreds as he fled, the moon bore the eye's wrath in his place. He heard screams somewhere far off; his feet were like stone weights, he was terrified but he could hardly move. Somehow he made it into a cave. For a moment he felt safe again back in the comforting darkness.

Then he felt arms encircle his waist and lift him, a hot breath on his neck and feathery hair tickle his face. He smiled and sighed in relief. He heard Jack's voice moaning softly, speaking words he couldn't understand. Then his throat seized up and he wanted to get away. He hit Jack, screamed at him, clawed his face and all he heard in response was 'Don't, I can't hurt you. Please don't.'

He didn't care about it, but he did. He wanted to stay and he wanted to run. He broke away and left the cave again, Jack's anguished screams following him. His hands sweated and shook and he could see Jack reaching out for him without looking. Elpis was white but the Eye was leaving waves of gushing red. Jack's screams grew louder. He wanted Timmy to come back. He didn't want to die, but he didn't want to go to Jack either.

He wanted to to die though, he wanted to go back to his blissful place, to feel and know nothing. Helios would send him back. Loneliness suddenly welled up and he finally looked back towards Jack. How bad would it be to have that man with him? No one else wanted him.

Now he felt angry and greedy. He saw more people behind Jack. They wanted both of them to save them, some of them wanted him or Jack to themselves. He hated all these people. 'We are not yours. We are not your heroes.' Did he think it? Did he say it?

He picked Jack up. For a moment both of them were happy. Then Helios turned its eye on them and the rushing rays of death drew close. Jack screamed and tried to drag him and Timmy away but Timmy held him fast. His legs were stone, his heart was stone. Jack screamed even louder, he could hear the alarms from Helios sounding as the eye caught them. Timmy laughed as Jack clawed his face, it fell away and the other man looked at his real face in pure terror. Timmy just laughed, just loving the fear and hate, just waiting for eye to finish them. He heart pounded and his breath raced, the alarm in his ears screeched and then…

Timmy coughed and sputtered, waking as if from a seizure. He reared up and coughed hard enough to bring up a lung. He was coated in grey moon dust. It was fucking everywhere. It was in his ears, his eyes, his nose, his mouth, even in his damn crack! He kept sputtering and wheezing, rolling his eyes at the whole predicament. The alarm was sounding through his ECHO.

" _ **Ya finally awake!**_ " Jack yelled. " _ **I'm making myself deaf here!**_ "

"Yes." Timmy croaked. He reached for his canteen and uncorked it, gulping down half before dumping some more on his face.

" _ **Fina-fucking-lly! Talk about sleeping beauty! I've been trying to get you up for almost 20 minutes!**_ "

"Vivid dream." Timmy was still croaking, even with the water.

" _ **You snore too, like a buzz saw.**_ " Timmy heaved a sigh. He did not want to deal with this right now.

Thankfully Jack didn't say much else. Timmy stood up and grimaced. He looked almost like he rolled in flour. The price you pay for sleeping in moon dust. He tried to bat it out of his hair and off his clothes. He took one step and knew he'd end up with wicked marsh ass if he didn't get some of that dust out of there. He sighed again and set to taking his pants off.

" _ **What are you up to there kiddo?**_ " Jack was intrigued to hear the jingling and rustling.

" _ **So you had dreams huh? The kind of dreams you need to finish off yourself?**_ "

"No." Timmy said flatly. He kept a rag in his pocket for gun cleaning, one part of which was still relatively clean. He wet it with some of his water and set about cleaning himself off. He went red in the face despite the fact he was alone.

Somehow the feel of cool water on his skin helped bring him back from the haze of his dream. He realized that up to now he'd still had Jack's dried spit on his dick. His chest squeezed in weird ways when he thought about that.

" _ **Well you gonna tell me about it or not?**_ " He was glad Jack couldn't see him. Jack would reach for him, offer to help, paw at him. He did not want that right now.

"No. It was too messed up."

" _ **So what are you doing?**_ "

Timmy huffed.

"Getting the moon gravel I slept on out of my crack so I don't end up with marsh ass or something worse!"

" _ **Eww, dude! Nevermind! Nevermind.**_ "

Jack kept quiet till he heard Timmy redoing his belt. The rag he had used was flung into the far end of the cave as if it had done him nothing but wrong.

" _ **Think you're ready to rock and roll again?**_ " The discomfort of the moment was still lingering even as Timmy drew his gun.

"I'll die if I'm not...right?"

" _ **Yes-but let's try to find more badass reasons to keep on, shall we?**_ "

"I'll have to get back to you on that."

The old Dahl dreadnought _Drakensburg_ Pickle told him about was imposing, even crashed into Elpis. It was beautiful too, in a scary, military vessel kind of way. Timmy imagined the _Drakensburg_ shuddering to life as he approached awed by the thought of its engines roaring and the huge hull dragging itself out of the ground.

"Ships are always cool." he whispered. Childlike awe; another small thing to help level him out.

" _ **Yes they are**_." Jack added. Timmy was annoyed he'd heard but then noticed the similar tone in Jack's voice. He was impressed too.

Pickle piped up and started banging on about the crash of the ship as Timmy carefully scouted for a good entry point. Then another voice came over the ECHO. Bossy, rather high pitched, whiny, all around annoying. But it also made your gut drop into your boots when you heard because you knew you were in trouble.

" _ **John! I want an update on the Helios situation!**_ " CEO Tassiter was sticking his nose in again. Timmy clamped his mouth shut.

" _ **Sir I've got my best people working on a way to re-take the station.**_ " Jack's answer was quick, polite, corporate. A well practiced bullshiting voice. Timmy had only known Jack a while but he knew now how much Jack hated even saying a word to Tassiter. Then Pickle decided to pipe up again.

" _ **That's the Hyperion CEO?**_ " Timmy could just feel the next quip coming. Before he could get out a syllable of 'For fuck's sake you shrimp, shut the fuck up!' Pickle was saying it.

" _ **Is he as much of a bottle and glass arse as I 'er?**_ "

Timmy didn't know what that meant but he knew it wasn't good and he knew Tassiter had heard it and hated it.

" _ **Who is that?**_ " about all that was going through Timmy head was 'Danger Will Robinson! Danger!' it honestly made him want to laugh.

" _ **That is the ten year old boy we hired to help us.**_ " Timmy lifted his brow, surprised Jack was so honest. Tassiter's matter-o-fact response was not surprising however.

" _ **You're fired John.**_ "

As Timmy found a way into _Drakensburg_ , he wonder why Jack was being so quiet about it. He decided it was best not to poke the bear as he approached a doorway. A doorway which was promptly sealed with a plasma shield.

" _Evil laugh! Ha ha ha!_ "

Timmy gave the nearest loudspeaker a 'Really?' look.

" _I'm the Captain of this vessel and you, squalid looter, will soon face my wrath! Oh...but since I've just block the path to my wrath you'll be facing my mens wrath instead! My girlfriend and I_ ," Timmy wrinkled his nose at the slimeball's emphasis on the word girlfriend, " _will enjoy watching you from the safety of the Captain's chamber, won't we my luscious snuggle bunny?_ "

" _ **Yep.**_ "

Timmy snorted.

" _We've talked about this my love! You're to address me as 'baby' or 'my dear' especially in front of the...others._ "

" _ **Of course my...dear Bosey.**_ "

"Maties! Attack!."

Timmy gritted his teeth and and ran back out, cutting through the first few scavs in his way and looking for an alternate entrance.

" _ **Hey there, sorry about all-that. I'm not really with Captain Arsecrack. I'll prove it.**_ "

A door on the side of the _Drakensburg_ popped open. Timmy was still being swarmed by scavs and he launch himself into the air and summoned his Digi-Jacks.

" _Lets kill some bad guys!_ " they let loose on the scavs while Timmy managed to pick some off from above.

"The Skipper I presume?" he asked.

" _ **Right, and if you want that force field down you need to go to the engine room.**_ "

"And if I don't want to go on your wild goose chase?" Timmy landed and jumped again, his Jacks reconstructing themselves in different areas to fire on the scavs tumbling out of the open door.

" _ **Listen the Bosun's pretty much holding me prisoner and making me do...things for his entertainment. But you're here and you look like the rescuing type.**_ "

"I'm a vault hunter lady. I'm more the ass kicking type." saying that while raining death from above on scavs did make him feel a bit puffed up.

" _ **Pretty much the same thing in my book.**_ "

Timmy finished off the last of the scavs and ducked into the _Drakensburg's_ hull.

" _ **Perfect. I know where you can a top grade military AI. Yes I know you need one, no don't ask how. But you need to find me, and to do that you need to shut down the barrier. So head to the engines**_."

" _ **Reckon she's onto something**_." Pickled added.

"I agree but how long would it take us to find another way? We don't have that kind of time."

" _ **Great! I'll help you where I can but we can't let the Bosun know we're working together. So sorry in advance for anything I may have to do.**_ "

"Don't mention it." Timmy's voice dripped sarcasm as he opened fire on another scav.

Timmy couldn't help but smile when the Skipper admitted to having fun while he blasted holes in the whole crew and Pickle swiped anything that wasn't bolted down.

" _ **Cor! Get yer peepers on that! 'Ello shiny looking converter! Fancy meeting you 'er!**_ "

" _ **Hey kid! Are you sure this place actually HAS a combat AI? These pirate dickbags just sounds nuts. Get it? Dickbags? Nuts? Heh heh.**_ "

Timmy really tried not to smile a bit at Jack's terrible joke. But the corners of his mouth wanted to go up whether he liked it or not.

" _ **Word is, the Bosun was some kind of AI tech whizz before 'e went native. Not that you'd guess now e's gone all mum-and-dad-mad. But what do you care? Didn't you just get fired?**_ "

" _ **And when I march up to Helios with an army of badass robots I'll be unfired so quickly it'll make Tassiter's pedo mustache spin off his big gross ugly face. Just get the AI core.**_ "

Now Timmy laughed. He had a rare moment of being thankful for Jack's dry, rather immature snark . He almost felt Jack smiling at him as he finished his sentence.

Timmy had never guessed that the engines of a starship could even be ejected. But ejected they were, with relative ease. Just set them to maximum output, smash the flow regulators and power stabilizer, then mash a button and out the back they go! It seemed a little dumb to make it so easy, honestly.

" _No! My lovely engine!_ " The Bosun blubbered into the loudspeakers.

" _ **There there.**_ " How did he still take her seriously, she wasn't even trying. " _ **Strictly speaking you didn't need to do that last bit...but I knew it would annoy him so I thought, why not?**_ "

"I agree. Very...theraputic babe." The Bosun gasped at Timmy calling his 'girlfriend' babe. The Skipper chuckled.

" _ **Head to the core system room we can take care of the force field now, the engine shaft's your fastest route.**_ "

Timmy sprinted through the ship's tunnels making it back to the heart in no time. As he lept from one exposed door to the other the Bosun screamed over the loudspeakers again.

" _Alright insects, this ends here! I'm sending my best man to finish you off! he's called Poop Deck. Because he kicks so much ass. Get it? GET IT? Well you're gunna._ "

"Shut the hell up ass wipe!" Timmy landed and took out his best pistol. That thing would likely take out this Poop Deck guy in two shots.

" _Sweetie pie open up the door!_ "

Poop Deck appeared, Timmy cocked his gun, and the door promptly slammed down on the man and reduced him to strawberry jam and a couple of legs and fingers.

" _Poop Deck! NOOOO!_ "

" _ **Oops. Sorry. Did you want me to keep them open too?**_ "

Timmy lost it and doubled over laughing.

" _What is WRONG with you my love? Poop Deck always had the nicest things to say about you!_ "

" _ **Oh, I know.**_ "

"Beautiful!" Timmy made sure to really bellow this so the Bosun could hear him loud and clear. "You are getting sexier by the minute baby! Woo!"

The Bosun growled and screamed unintelligible things while the Skipper chuckled. Timmy really hoped she was blushing.

"Hey buddy, don't be mad just cause your girlfriend appreciates some eye and ear candy." Timmy was just in full Jack mode now. He gave a cocky little dance move as he made his way to the core systems chamber.

" _ **You do have a very nice ass sir.**_ "

Timmy heard a small pop somewhere not far off.

"Was that his head?"

" _ **Don't I wish.**_ "

It was more scavs making a last ditch attempt to stop him. His best pistol blasted heads off shoulders with ease and he made it to the last elevator between him and the Bosun. Once he was down there he spotted a large computer console set up in the center of the room.

"Now I'm really pissed off!"

The Bosun launched his control chair into the air, with a serious shield being generated by four robot arms.

"You ruin my engine, you kill ALL my favorite men and...and..and you have the GALL to COME ON to MY **GIRLFRIEND**! DIE LANDLUBBER DIE!"

Timmy grinned, summoned the Jacks and rolled down behind a guardrail. The Bosun's little chair unit turned out to be tough as nails and armed to the teeth. Just how long it took it knock that under shield down pissed him off. Finally it shorted out and while his Jack's tore into the unit he got off a good head shot. It ended up hitting the Bosun in the chest as the unit moved, but it hit hard enough to rip into his shoulder and lung and cause a waterfall of blood.

"Skipper! Nooo!" The chair crashed when the Bosun expired and Timmy heaved a sigh of relief.

"You need to come open this door now sir."

Timmy went to the far end of the room and the two armored doors parted. He walked into a surprisingly sterile server room. The giant processing units whirred away and the room was keep really cold to let them function at full capacity. He wandered past several rows of the high tech equipment.

"Um, where are you exactly?"

" _ **Over here.**_ "

At the end of the room was another interface console. As he approached the armoring on the windows pulled up, revealing the core of the AI running the ship.

" _ **Wow! The Skipper's an AI! Well blow me cotton socks off!**_ "

" _ **Caught it in one kid, you're sharp. The Bosun aka Keith, used to be an AI Tech working for Dahl. He made me into...this after he uh, wasn't exactly a hit with the ladies.**_ "

"So you **are** the AI we need huh?"

" _ **Yes. I used to be military grade, ran this ship when it meant something. Until the Bosun reprogrammed me to be his 'companion'. If you want to plug me into something more interesting than this dead ship I'm all yours. Too many terrible memories here.**_ " The Skipper's voice sounded relieved but also resigned. She must still be thinking about her more honorable past.

" _ **What?! The hot chick's actually an ex military AI some geek reprogrammed to be his girlfriend? Sold!**_ "

"Agreed!"

" _ **Grab the lovely lady and lets get moving! We got some friggin robots to build.**_ "

Timmy pushed the buttons the Skipper highlighted and the core's last defenses shut down.

" _ **I'm ready...yank me**_."

Gingerly he removed her core from its mount and placed it in his knapsack.

"You ok in there?"

" _ **Just fine, thank you**_." that was the happiest he'd heard her yet.

" _ **Yello this thing working? Lilith and Roland just got in touch, they found a factory that can get us those chassis but you need to get it up and running again.**_ "

"Ok Jack, just ECHO the coordinates to me."

" _ **Done.**_ "

" _ **I know that factory. I can help you navigate it, but first you'll need to catch a train.**_ "

"There are trains on Elpis?"

" _ **There are now that you have me, handsome.**_ "

Timmy felt a little warm rush through him. He shook his head.

"Was the the Bosun dick's programming?"

" _ **Yes, but I do like you.**_ "

"Heh."

Timmy smiled again. He hadn't smiled this much in awhile.


	4. Chapter 4

" ** _I still say that all the firepower in the world doesn't mean anything if you can't hit your target. Hyperion makes the the most accurate weapons, those ads aren't just hype._** "

"Yea, but Hyperion guns take a hella long time to get that accurate. Don't get me wrong they're great and I am working on a few but Jackobs make things die quickly. And in my line of work I need things to die quickly."

Timmy cleaned the residue out of his favorite pistol, putting the wire brush back in his little kit and reloading the chambers. He snapped the barrel back into place and gave it a little pat.

"I never thought I'd have a favorite gun maker." he mused.

" _ **I take it that you started out your professional life along a very different path?**_ " Felicity sounded interested, and a little concerned.

"Yes. I never even held a gun until about a month ago. Now these things are the closest thing I have to best friends."

" _ **I don't count?**_ " if she had a lip she may have pouted.

"Well...I didn't want to presume, only met you a little while ago."

" _ **You're certainly the closest thing I've had to a friend in my entire existence.**_ "

"Thank you...I guess. That's kind of sad."

" _ **Yes it is isn't it? But I suppose the bar can be set a bit lower for an AI.**_ "

" _ **Um kids, are we about done with the tea party cause…**_ "

Elpis shook with another hit from Helios.

" _ **Yea, Zarpa-nuts is still trying to tear into this place.**_ "

"Sometimes I could almost forget." Timmy stood up and began his made a few jumps to get up to the train station.

" _ **Plug me into the controls, I'll call a train.**_ "

Having some platonic company in Felicity had been a nice change of pace. It felt strange to think of an AI he'd known less than a day as friend, and he really didn't want to call it that. He decided to stop it at he liked talking to her.

"Ten hut! Train incoming!"

Timmy extracted Felicity from the controls and hopped on board. He flopped into one of the hard chairs and crossed arms and legs, quite happy to sit and travel for once.

His ECHO communicator beeped. Incoming message from...Jack.

_Tell me she can't hear me somehow. I'm bored as hell and I'd rather not have our AI lady butting in._

He furrowed his brow and typed back a response.

_Why can't you just say this?_

_Because I wanted to talk about how painful it was not to be able to reach out and grab that sweet ass earlier._

He rolled his eyes now.

_Really? Now?_

_Yeah now!_

_Not in the mood boss, seriously bad time._

_Oh fucking hell, don't play hard to get again! I don't buy it. Do I need to remind you what happened yesterday?_

_Do not throw that in my face!_

_What? Was I the drunk pity fuck? Fucking great. I was being nice you know. I could have just put you on your hands and knees and mounted you._

Timmy felt his gut twist when he read that.

_But no. Instead I'm the nice guy and make sure you enjoy your first playtime with a man. Nice guys finish last, every time. Honestly why do I keep playing the damn part?_

He threw his head back and forced out his burning anger in a long breath. He thought for a few seconds about what to say. He had to be careful.

_Look, you're the one who keeps reminding me the schedule we're on. I thought you wanted to get this job done quick as possible._

_I do. But you're on a freakin train. Excuse me for wanting to lighten the mood a little._

Now what to say?

_You're confusing the hell out of me._

Deflection. Time honored technique of his mom, now he figured out how to use it.

_What the hell does that mean?_

_It means I barely know which way is up. You make me feel everything, I mean everything at once. What did you expect? I was straight, hell a bloody virgin till now! And pile this on top of everything else fucked up in this fucked up place is it so hard to believe I might not be very receptive?_

There was a long pause, long enough to make Timmy think Jack had just had enough.

_Fair point, but I'm still hella pissed at you._

_Ditto._

_Later then._

Timmy groaned and sunk down into the seat. Getting into a fight with his boss over sex was possibly the worst idea he'd had yet. Perhaps he should play along with Jack's whims the way he played to his own superiors. But...that felt like far too much. Jack did do things to him he never expected. He looked across the way and caught his reflection in the glass.

Jack's face stared back, blue and green gaze angry and intense. He shifted his jaw and it almost made him frightened thinking that his boss was likely wearing the exact same expression. He felt a little sick thinking again that Jack was attracted to him because yes **because** he looked just like him.

It made him even angrier. Why couldn't someone just like him for him? 'Oh hell, give up on that Timothy, just give up. The real you died a long time ago. He died when you signed your face away.'

The hateful little voice resounded in his mind. By the time the train arrived he was in the foulest mood he'd been in since the whole ordeal started; since he'd woken up and realized he's lost his own face.

The train screeched to a stop and Timmy stood up, lurching to a side as the momentum carried him, then walking off with the all the dark purpose of someone possessed by a cold anger. The Dahl facility was covered in something that could be only described as moon coral. The place was dimly lit in industrial, greenish light, loud bangs occasional sounded from within. It looked every bit the haunted factory.

" _ **So this is where we're going to build the super awesome robot army? Huh? Honestly I'm a little disappointed.**_ "

" _ **Aren't you the naysayer? Evidently this place became a regular ghost town after Dahl packed up and left after the Crackening. We just need to get into the power suit section and get the assembly line running again.**_ "

Timmy let out a breathe, he felt his irritation growing as the thought that Jack sounded so calm and nonchalant while he was reeling passed through his brain. He shook his head and smacked himself in the temple. 'Stop thinking like a butt hurt bitch!' he told himself.

He cocked his rifle and entered the Titan facility cautiously. Lilith and Roland had mentioned having a lot of trouble with the scavs camping out in there. The entry to the factory was dead quiet, and it bore the scars of recent conflict. Keeping his rifle ready Timmy edged over to some of the deeper gouges in the wall.

" _ **Still warm?**_ " Felicity asked

He ran his fingers over them.

"No." black soot came off onto his glove. "They are fresh though."

" ** _Might be where your scouts entered. Keep your guard up_**."

Timmy made his way through slowly, checking every crevice before he stepped forward.

" ** _Can I ask you something? While we have a moment?_** "

"Shoot."

" ** _What is your name exactly?_** "

"Um...just call me Jack."

" ** _But that's not your name is it._**"

"I'm under contract to never say it." He stepped onto an iron walkway and looked over the side, swinging his rifle down to aim at anything that might be beneath him. "But I can say it rhymed with 'Jimothy'."

Felicity laughed. It was kind of light and feathery, very much a proper english laugh.

" _ **Why did you sign up for this? If you don't mind my asking.**_ "

"Jack has a lot of dreams and ambitions. And I have student loans."

" ** _Oh my. So you knew each other before?_** "

"Nope."

" ** _I see. I can say that you are not the first wide eyed college boy to be done in by debt. That kind of person made up half the forces of Dahl. What the company wouldn't tell them is that only a percentage of their pay went towards those loans. Even after 20 years of service or more they still had debt coming out._** "

"Just peachy."

" ** _I know. They had to go to there account handler and specifically request more of their paychecks be funneled towards the debt. I hope Hyperion is actually paying yours off._** "

Timmy was about to reply when Jack chimed in.

" ** _Actually we don't really have too. Don't worry kid, Your debts are a good as gone. Really. You don't exist on paper any more and that includes the student loans you took out. They are finito._** "

Timmy stopped for a moment, a little stunned.

"So, I have no debts now. You erased them?"

" ** _Yup._** "

"Huh. Nice to know...I guess."

" ** _What?_** " Jack smelled something amiss in his double's voice.

"Nothing, nothing. Just...nevermind. I can process this later. Job to do, right?"

" ** _Right...keep heading nor noreast. The Powersuit facility should be a few more klicks in._** "

Timmy was still thinking about what Jack had said. On the one hand it gave him a huge amount of relief. If he could just get through this the Queen of all Nightmares he was scott free money wise. On the other hand this killed about 60% of his reasoning to be doing this in the first place. The rest being made up by the Eye of Helios and his pay. Those two reasons were stretched like butter over too much bread. Maybe Jack should not have told him this, but what did it matter now? Add it to the pile of things making his gut twist.

He entered what should have been the powersuit factory and was immediately set upon by scavs. He was beginning to see why soldiers and mercs preferred combat to any other type of interaction. It was simple, straightforward, non-challenging to the brain. Shoot and kill. Fight and live. And it let him forget the mess his mind had become over the last few hours.

As he cleared his way through, a new voice came over the ECHO.

" ** _Hello?! Uh help!_** "

"Who is that?!"

" ** _I'm being held hostage in the main control, please can you rescue me?! I'll explain when you get here! The bloody scavs will eat me when they realize I'm not what I say I am!_** "

Timmy rolled his eyes.

"Why...are there so...many dumb fuckers….needing my help?" he hissed through clenched teeth, mowing down scavs as quick as he could.

" ** _I hope I don't qualify as a dumb fucker._** " Felicity had that 'about to be annoyed' tone only women could manage.

"Nah, not you babe. Extenuating circumstances. No arms or legs."

He was sure she smiled at that. Timmy slowly ploughed through to the room just adjacent to the control room. He brushed ice and gore bits off himself as he did so. He got pissed of when one scavs nicked him just as his shield was depleted and started lobbing cryo grenades to shatter the bastards.

"Ok, where are you?"

"Over here! I'll open up the door."

A dingy lift door snapped up, knocking a danger sign to the floor. Timmy looked up and saw scrawny man not much taller than he had once been. His hair was obviously unkempt and Timmy did not doubt that this rarely cleaned up. He wore a full science get up, complete with goggles and even had a mechanical eye. His kit was spattered with blood and a few other smears Timmy honestly did not want to know the origins of.

"Am I glad to see you! Here I was doing some help yourself exploring; working on a pet project when those scavs swept in. They were about to cut me to pieces when I persuaded them I'm a medic."

Timmy was waving his hands the whole time he was babbling on, he hadn't even crossed the Oz seal before the man started talking at him.

"I am a doctor, but more the Hyperion R&D kind." he finally finished.

Timmy sighed and rubbed his brow.

"Nice to meet you too...jackass."

"Oh...uuuhh...sorry, I'm."

"Jack! You know this dude?" Timmy interrupted.

" _ **I don't recognize him. Yo! You got a name?**_ "

" Sorry bruvs, Gladstone Katoa D-Division. What brings you all here?"

" ** _Oh!_** " Jack lit up like Christmas. " ** _D-Division, that's where they hide all the brainiacs who work on the super secret awesome stuff right?_** "

"Uh, I work on experimental tech. The Division green lit me using the resources here. Why are you here?"

" ** _Well, Gladstone Katoa, we need to get back to Helios and re take the big ass laser on it from a bunch of freaky looking Dahl military types..._** "

Gladstone's expression changed from mild curiosity to a very deep seated worry as Jack talked. He moved away from the door re lower the blast shield on the window and Timmy could finally step in.

" ** _...and if we don't the moon's going to go boom and take half of Pandora with it. You know, the ush._** "

"Oh-I wondered what was , why are you here? Shouldn't you be somewhere more space station-y?"

Wow, for a scientist this guy was exceptionally thick. Even Felicity got fed up.

" ** _Jack wants to build a robot army driven by my AI, then re-take Helios with it. I'm Felicity by the way._** "

"Oh gotcha. You're after my prototype."

'Huh?' Timmy thought. "Why must there be so much confusion today?'

"Well...its not finished."

" ** _What?! No, we're here to build robots what are you talking about?_** "

"Right, I was working on an off the books project creating a master bot capable of digi-structing an almost unlimited supply of other bots. My prototype's almost done but its missing a few key scavs stopped me from installing them but I wouldn't want something this powerful to fall into their grimy hands anyways."

" ** _This guy! This guy right here! Tell me more!_** "

"Yeah bruv! We just need to get the hardware together and then install a military grade AI and POW. It should pop out combat ready loaders."

Gladstone grew quite visibly excited. Even Timmy quite like the idea of this master bot. It was about a perfect as they could have asked for! Only Felicity wasn't quite on board.

" ** _What? You want me in some kind of 'constructor' bot? That's not what I had in mind._** "

" ** _Ooh! 'Consructor'! I like it! Nice!_** "

"We told you we needed a robot army Felicity? What's wrong with this?" Timmy really did not see where the problem was.

" ** _Well, I assumed you'd have to copy me out to control maybe a few hundred combat bots._** "

"But this is even better! We won't have to copy you, you'll be able to control the whole army from one chassis." Gladstone nodded with everything Timmy said.

" ** _I was designed and programmed to control one ship, don't misunderstand I do agree this is the more...efficient solution I just don't know how well I'll integrate._** "

"Come again?" Timmy asked. Felicity tried very hard to be patient with them.

" ** _There's a mighty difference between a battle class dreadnought and a humanoid combat robot. I wasn't really programmed for arms or legs, or for walking, even even less so for controlling other bots._** "

"So there's a learning curve, Ok. We are right here hun. I promise we'll help you through everything." Timmy meant that, he really did.

"Yeah, I can help you with just about any problems, no worries." Gladstone added.

There was a pause while Felicity considered. Timmy felt his bag heat up a bit, she must have been thinking hard.

" ** _Alright, I'll give it a go._** "

" ** _Great!_** " Jack butted in. " ** _Tech dude, this prototype can digi-struct combat loaders? Right? Cause those power suits seemed kinda...lame._** "

"Yeah yeah! Hyperion loaders all the way! But first we need to actually finish the prototype. You'll need to get the materials from the main factory, I can get you in and monitor the systems from here."

" ** _Alright, go Team Robot Army._** "

Timmy gave Gladstone a light punch in the shoulder. He must have gotten stronger than he remember cause Gladstone lurched like a brick hit him. Or maybe he was just that much of...well, a wuss. Gladstone rubbed his shoulder but gave Timmy a sincere smile. He knew he meant well.

" ** _Jimothy?_** "

Timmy gulped.

"Yeah Felicity?"

" ** _Do you mean what you said? About, being there for me...though this?_** "

"Yes, I really do."

" ** _Good. You are a good man, I hope you know that._** "

"Umm...yeah I do, I guess."

" ** _You should know that. Remember it. I know this is being hard on you._** "

"You're worried about me?"

" ** _Yes, more than myself at the current moment._** "

"Thanks, but you shouldn't be."

" ** _I haven't a feeling I won't be once this 'constructor' is finished. That promise does mean a great deal to me._** "

Timmy felt his stomach flutter and his neck grow hot. Yeah, she's a friend. Without a doubt.

"Don't mention it."


	5. Chapter 5

Timmy heaved a sigh as he scooped up grimy artificial eyes from the ruined chassis of Dahl guard bots.

" ** _Thank bruv! Once you've got them all head over to the eye lab and we'll go on from there!_** "

"Why didn't you do this yourself again?"

" ** _I told you I was trying to and then the scavs swept in._** "

" ** _Trying to?_** " Jack piped up, " ** _Lemme guess...all brains, no balls, am I right?_** "

" ** _Uh.._** " Gladstone forced a little chuckle, " ** _Yeah, something like that. The little buggers pack quite a punch huh?_** "

"No not really." Timmy shrugged.

The lab Gladstone spoke of was fairly normal stuff, apart from the special machine he described to break the eyes down and composite a new one.

" ** _Alright, place them inside and the eye converter and we'll have our prototype eye._** "

" ** _An 'eye converter'? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of, why the hell would they make an eye converter?_** "

" ** _They didn't!_** " Gladstone nearly squealed, " ** _I did!_** "

Timmy dumped the eyes in the back of the machine and let it close, then backed the hell away.

" ** _I was here a long time preparing my prototype, this is highly sensitive experimental technology._** "

" ** _Well...it looks like a toaster._** "

The converter roared, hummed, and then massive and disturbing crunching noises came from it as the eyes were smashed, melted and re-purposed. After a few minutes the machine started shaking like a washing machine on spin cycle...with an unbalanced load...and loose footing.

"Um, Gladstone. I think I'd better get out of here you're machine looks ready to blow!"

" ** _Do-don't worry bruv, it'll be fine. This is history in the making!_** "

"Why's it gotta be scary?!"

Abruptly the converter stopped and spat the new eye into a mechanical arm. Two other arms briefly soldered certain bits, then the eye was presented. Timmy stepped back up on the platform and gingerly took the large component from the claw.

" ** _Oh its so beautiful!_** "

"Ok 'bruv', now what?"

" ** _Oh oh, now head back to the main room-we need to plug that baby into the main torso._** "

"On it."

Timmy sprinted down to the main construction room, the childlike side of him bubbling back up. First giant ships now building robots. If it wasn't for all the mental trauma and threat of imminent death it'd be an 8 year old's dream.

" ** _Flip the latch on the cage and it should open!_** "

Timmy kicked the small latch and the torso cage lifted up out of the floor, revealing the 'constructor' in all its...well, it wasn't finished.

"So this is it huh?"

" ** _I was sooo close to finishing this when the scavs arrived. It'll pump out a lot of robots, enough to make the difference against Dahl, or whatever they are._** "

"Good, good." Timmy bit his tongue. Jack didn't.

" ** _Ohhh, its uh...looks kinda like a….dumpster wrapped in sadness. No offense_**."

Timmy bent down to deliver the eye and initially tried to get it in gently. It wouldn't go in gently. He ended up ramming it in with all the force of a man trying to shove a square peg into a round hole. Finally it relented and and popped into the torso's housing.

**_"Now that's done…_** " Gladstone said with a hint of annoyance at Timmy's rough handling," **_We need to mount the torso onto the crane system. The controls are up top, should be straightforward._** "

Timmy made his way to the crane controls and had the system pick up the torso and begin delivering it to the next chamber.

" ** _Awe its really happening! My old professor said I'd never amount to anything, and now look at me!_** "

" ** _You want me inside that thing?_** " Felicity finally spoke.

"Does it look that bad?"

" ** _It certainly doesn't look inviting. Look, I've been thinking about the installation. You could just copy me, you know. It's basically the same thing and I'd find it much less terrifying_**."

Timmy put a hand to his chin and considered.

"Well...how lo-"

" ** _Exactly how much less terrifying?_** " Jack butt in.

" ** _Its the difference between brain surgery and being scanned._** "

" ** _Hmmmmm, lemme think about it._** "

Timmy huffed.

"If its that big a difference then I do think we should copy you."

" ** _Thank you._** "

" ** _Come on bruv! Next step is ready!_** "

"Hold your horses, I'm going!"

In the next chamber Timmy slapped a few commands into a console and the turret arms of the robot were attached.

" ** _So this is my new home huh? Not sure I want to move in._** "

"Felicity please, stop fretting. I more you worry the worse it'll get. Sorry to sound callous but its true."

" ** _Yea babe, its like...playing catcher for the first time_**." Timmy's blood froze as Jack spoke, " ** _Yes its going to hurt a little, but you just have to relax into it, let it happen and pretty soon you're having a ton of fun!_** "

Timmy tried to say something to that but just came up dry. Felicity was completely quiet. Gladstone coughed and finally broke the silence, but not the tension.

" ** _That-th-did not go where I was expecting._** "

"Trust me, when Jack talks, think sex, not baseball."

Jack chuckled.

" ** _Um...I was thinking cricket but I guess that's moot._** "

"Ok, before I can cut this moment with a dull knife, Gladstone what's next?"

" ** _Uh...yeah. The legs are still attached to an old experimental version of the Dahl powersuit. So you'll need to separate them and get them into the crane system._** "

"Roger."

As he made his way to the adjacent assembly line, Felicty put out an idea.

" ** _Isn't getting that powersuit to the crane system going to be a little...difficult for you? Why don't I take over the powersuit and walk the legs to where they can be assembled._** "

" ** _Yeah! I didn't even think of that! It'd be a great warm up for you._** "

"Great idea babe, you see, its just a learning process."

Timmy heard Jack chuckle and take in a breath to talk over his ECHO.

"Jack! Nu-uh!"

" ** _But!_** "

"No."

" ** _You don't know what I was going t-_**."

"I can guess, really, really well. I am you after all."

" ** _Huh._** " He could hear the amused smile in his boss's tone. He liked it much better when Timmy was more like him than Timmy. Maybe it'd smooth things over.

The old powersuit was still waiting in its final inspection hook up. Timmy input Felicity through the nearby console. The suit lit up and shuddered to life, thick layers of dust falling away as it moved. Felicity flexed her new body as well as she could given its limited range.

"How's it feel?"

" ** _Strange, very strange. Arms, legs, feet…_** " she picked up one huge foot and gingerly put it down in front of her, **_"is this what it like to be human?_** "

"Couldn't rightly tell ya." Timmy walked along beside her as she made careful steps towards the crane system. "I don't have much point of reference."

" ** _Well, its the worst._** "

Timmy laughed and patted one of the giant steel legs.

"Its not so bad, trust me."

" ** _Scavs incoming! Let's see what you can do baby!_** "

Timmy raise his gun and before he could fire he was almost bowled over by the massive concussive waves from Felicity's gun. Her oversized and over powered rounds turned their enemies into jelly. As they made slow but steady progress Timmy sniped those quick enough to dodge Felicity's shots while she mowed everything else down.

"Jeezus!" He had to scream to be heard over her firepower. "Dahl does not do anything without gusto!"

" ** _No we don't!_** " Felicity shouted back, her voice trembling.

Once they got close to the crane system the scavs stopped coming. Timmy shook his head several times and was sure his ears would be ringing for years.

"Jack I don't think those powersuits are lame at all."

" ** _Not bad buttercup, you turned those scavs into puddles!_** "

" ** _Yes I did didn't I?_** " she sounded like she'd been stomping on kittens rather than gunning down crazed bandits. " ** _Everything's lost like, tears in a puddle._** "

"Hey, Felicity, what's wrong? Didn't you have to do things like this when you ran the Drakensburg? Hell you controlled the auto defense systems that me a hard time."

" ** _I know, I know, this may be hard for you to understand, but all this is very different and I honestly don't like it._** "

Timmy put his hand back on her leg as they walked into the crane room.

"I do understand. But about all I can say is keep plowing forward. Its that or die."

" ** _I'm...sorry._** "

"Don't be."

Jack cleared his throat. Timmy bit his lip, then asked Gladstone for the next step.

" ** _That powersuit should have a self destruct function, use it to get the legs free._** "

" ** _Got it...Okay, I'm ready to detonate, stand back!_** "

Timmy ducked behind several component containers as Felicity blew the old suit apart, which surprisingly left the legs still standing with hardly a scratch.

" ** _Perfect Felicity! Other-Jack, can you lower the torso onto the legs?_** "

Timmy hit the controls and the crane lowered the completed torso onto its new legs. Mechanical arms unfolded and began connecting and soldering the halves together.

" ** _Yea, this is going to get awesome._** " Even Jack was getting excited.

A few minutes of sparking and screwing and the entire finished robot was lifted up to be taken to the final chamber.

" ** _It got awesome!_** "

" ** _Its a brute isn't it?_** "

" ** _Construction is complete finally! The shell just needs to go through final testing and we'll be ready to install the AI!_** "

Felicity was terrified, Jack and Gladstone were elated, Timmy was somewhere between all them.

"Remember I'm still here okay?"

He reached into his knapsack and touched her core housing. He knew she couldn't feel it but instinct wouldn't let him do any less.

" ** _I know_**." it didn't sound like that helped her much any more.

" ** _Jack I really didn't enjoy killing those scavs maybe this is all a mistake._** "

" ** _I don't like killing either babe._** "

'What a lie.' Timmy thought but kept to himself.

As the finished robot went through the testing, Gladstone stuttered out some unwelcome news.

" ** _U-u-u, bruv? Other Jack? I'm looking over the AI installation process and we may have a bit of a p-p-problem._** "

"What problem?"

" ** _Felicity is a very complex AI, and I mean that in a good way…_** "

"Yes…"

" ** _Well, you see, I-Ididn'tcalibratetheinternalhardwareforsuchacomplexAIandshemayhavetohavebitsofmemorywipedtoavoidoverwhelmeingandshortingoutthesystem._** "

Timmy' eyes crossed and his brain screamed.

"Come again?"

" ** _Yes oh mighty King of run-on sentences._** " Jack added.

Gladstone puffed out a breath and tired again.

" ** _Felicity may be too much for the brain bits I put in. It'd take days to re-calibrate so...she may have to have her memory paired down to something more basic so the constructor doesn't just blow._** "

" ** _WHAT?!_** " Felicity screamed.

"Um...Gladstone are you sure-"

" ** _Awe crap! Well do what you gotta do!_** " Timmy's mouth gaped at that.

"Jack can't we-?"

" ** _We don't have days kiddo! We need this thing working now! Plug her in as soon as its ready._** "

" ** _Wait! WAIT! I don't want to have my memory wiped! I don't want to turn into...look, can't you just put a copy of me in the constructor?_** "

" ** _Exactly how long would it take to copy you?_** "

" ** _Couple of days at the absolute most!_** " Timmy chewed his lip, Felicity was begging for her life now, he opened his mouth to speak but Jack's response cut him off.

" ** _Uh-uh, Zarpedon will have popped the moon like a zit by then. Sorry buttercup, we don't have time for either ...do it._** "

Timmy grimaced and held his head in hands, fighting back all the emotions that threatened to spill out.

"I promised her…" He whispered.

"Jack I can't!"

" ** _If you don't we all die!_** "

"Fuck…"

" ** _Jimothy?_** "

"Felicity I...I fucking hate it, I fucking hate all of it but he's right. We just don't have time! We're all dead unless, unless this works."

" ** _Jimothy I can't! You'll be killing me!_** "

"But what about everyone else?" he asked, grinding his jaw and marching towards the final chamber. Felicity started crying, a computer program started crying. The behemoth came down the crane system and the floor groaned as its massive frame was set down. Behind it was the place to install the core. Timmy took Felicity out of his bag, out of her safe little cocoon. She was still sobbing. Timmy couldn't say anything, if he opened his mouth the lump in his throat would choke him and the tears would start.

The core fit perfectly, and Felicity pleaded one last time before the installation machine slammed her core up into the chamber, not unlike a guillotine blade coming down on a victim's neck.

" ** _Keep the military stuff, anything that can help us in a fight. Trash the rest._** "

Timmy gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Jack as so uncaring, so detached, there was a person dying, more than dying, being murdered for the sake of millions more. And all he cared about was the military programming.

" ** _Felicity, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!_** " Gladstone blubbered as he followed his orders.

Timmy couldn't say anything still. He couldn't cry too. He'd done enough. He didn't want anymore tears but right now he knew that tears were really all he had to give. Then Felicity spoke again, eerily calm.

" ** _I can hear myself dying, I can...No! Stop it! No! NO!_** "

The process abruptly stopped, and the constructor came up out of its cage. Its flashed yellow for a few seconds then turned blood red. The guns on its arms and head lifted up into position and Timmy's heard Felicity's hate filled voice for the last time.

" ** _If hate if all you want THAT'S WHAT YOU'LL GET!_** "

" ** _Oh my god! She's gone rampant!_** "

" ** _Crap! SHIT! Jack stop her! Gladstone try to get her back under control!_** "

Timmy was frozen solid as the crazed bot bore down on his, showing its power and spawning a dozen Hyperion loaders armed to the teeth all around him.

" ** _What are you DOING? Take her out? At least get out! Come on!_** "

He didn't think about his hand reaching down for his pistol. He didn't feel its weight or the recoil as he took his first shot. He didn't think at all. He existed, and he fought to keep it that way, just like she was.


	6. Chapter 6

Six hours later they were back in Moxxi's bar heavy techno music again shaking his innards but this time there was a lot more whooping and hollering going on. Timmy sat at the bar watching all around him with the empty eyes of a mannequin.

Athena downed an after dinner whiskey and stayed out of the action on the dance floor, where Jack and Nisha were tearing it up with the claptrap vault hunter and the claptrap bartender not far off. Needless to say the robots were not nearly was easy to watch as Jack and his partner. Wilhelm was off somewhere buying some kind of weapon or upgrade since Jack had suggested they take a few hours to recoup before their assault on Helios.

Gladstone also needed the time to pump out a decent sized army. Timmy winced and tried to push any thoughts of robots out of his head. The whiskey he'd been drinking hadn't done much but slow those awful thoughts and memories down. Nothing better than watching a traumatizing scene over and over again in slow motion.

It was bad enough and he was drunk enough to just oogle Jack and Nisha to give himself something else to think about. His eyes were spending about an equal amount of time on her boobs and his ass. But even that activity brought some unwelcome things. Timmy wasn't picky when it came to breasts but given the choice he veered towards something on the more modest side.

Honestly he liked Athena's rack better than Nisha's. But hers wasn't swaying, bobbing and bouncing at the current moment. That being said he found himself actively ruminating on how glad he was to have Jack's very firm ass to stare at when Nisha's jiggling got to be too much. He was also more disappointed when said ass wasn't in view rather than said boobs.

But all this aside he was too drunk, too tired and too empty to really care much about it. Finally he turned away from his show and poked at the ice in his glass. A blob of peach and red appeared in the ice and he glanced up enough to see another pair of plump breasts barely tucked into their crimson corset.

He licked his lips and glanced up a little further.

"Hey Mox." said, barely above a whisper.

"Hey sugar, you're white as a sheet and sadder than a wino with a bottle of spring water. What's up?"

"I guess this place is just wearing on me."

"Awe." Moxxi punted for him and put her elbows on the bar and leaned her head on her hands ."Can I do anything for that?"

"You know, if you have asked me a few hours ago and I would have made an idiot of myself."

She giggled at that.

"I'm sure."

"But right now, I dunno. Call me tired, call me sad, call me a pansy I don't care."

"I'll call you overworked." she shot a look at Jack still grinding up against Nisha. "At least let me get you some food, on the house. You're dropping weight sugar, its getting easier to tell the difference between you too."

"Maybe not a bad idea, I do need to keep my job."

Moxxi nodded and sauntered off. Timmy did not feel up to food but resolved to choke down as much as possible. He hoped it smelled good and got his stomach going. He tried to give it a little hand by remembering the feast his mom served up every Christmas.

His family was not well off but they made damn sure everyone was fed. It was a wonder Timmy was ever so thin. His mom would cook not just a hock of ham but a slow roasted turkey too. Or a goose, depending on what unlucky bird happened to get in his dad's sights. But the bird was never dry, he loved to get the dark meat first and just savor the greasy, wild flavor.

There'd be yams cooked with pecans and marshmallows too, au gratin potatoes, plenty of veggies that she'd make sure to load the kids plates with, and mashed potatoes with garlic and butter.

And the gravy...oh sweet saintly christ the gravy. There's be two kinds at least, turkey gravy and brown beef gravy. If the ham gave her enough grease there'd be a separate boat just for the pork gravy. His mother's gravy was a food group in and of itself. And all this was not including the cornbread and the rolls, and all the sweets and pies and cakes that everyone would bring. His mother would even go so far as to use home churned butter for everything. Nearly made his arms fall of every year it was his turn to churn.

That memory did the trick and by the time he heard Moxxi set down a plate he was nearly drooling.

"Well you look better already sugar."

"Thank you." he gave her a sincere look and she smiled at him.

He dug into the burger and fries she brought out which turned out to be pretty good. With a full belly he did feel slightly better and now replaying his warm memories of home helped as well. But the day's events continued on his mind, just out of sight, whispering to him still. Jack came up as he was eating and clapped his shoulder.

"Holy fuck kiddo! That woman can dance, look at me!"

Timmy glanced over at his boss and saw the guy was covered in sweat, his hair was sticking to his forehead and it was dripping down the back of his neck. Not the greatest thing to see when trying to eat.

"I noticed." Timmy mumbled through his food.

Jack snatched a fry from his plate but Timmy didn't bat an eye. 'I got most of them, whatever' he thought. Jack moaned almost pornographically at the taste.

"Fuck, I haven't eaten at all with this shit going on. I didn't even know I was hungry."

"Order something then." Timmy took another sip of whiskey. The way Jack was eyeing his plate got him a little worried now. He went from not caring to being food territorial.

"Nah, Moxxi will charge me up the ass like she did last time." he gave Timmy a pointed look. "She's been nickel and diming me since we broke up."

"I thought that was normal with break ups." Timmy tried to surreptitiously move his remaining fries to far side of his plate while downing the rest of his burger.

"Yeah, still sucks."

Jack reached past his double's hand and stole another fry. Timmy suppressed a grunt.

"Jack order your own for gods' sake." Moxxi shot him a withering look.

"What?" he shrugged his shoulders innocently "Its only two fries."

"That I gave **him** for **free**."

"Oh come on Mox why the special treatment for him?"

Moxxi smiled and batted Jack's nose as she spoke.

"Because I like him better you cute, greedy little asshole." she said sweet as pie. Jack gave a sarcastic laugh and pushed her hand away.

"Very funny. We're the same guy you know."

Moxxi snorted.

"Not by a long shot."

Jack scoffed as she walked away. Timmy managed to inhale the rest of his food while they bantered. Jack looked a little disappointed when he glanced back down at the empty plate.

"You got some hollow leg there."

Timmy felt a burp work its way up but did his best to play it down.

"I guess I earn my meals about as well as my money huh?"

Jack smiled, and then the look came back. For a little while he just sat there admiring Timmy. It was the look you see on a man's face when he's sitting right next to the person he wants to take home that night and possibly every other night. 'I want you, just you.' Timmy shuddered and did not meet Jack's lusty gaze, only continued nursing his drink.

"You're...distant tonight kitten, what's up?"

Timmy sighed and now looked. He hoped Jack got it, thankfully he did.

"Oh...Felicity." his boss got slightly annoyed now, "You know she would have killed you."

"Yes."

"You know I would have copied her if we'd had the time?"

"...Sure."

"She agreed to it from the get go."

"I know."

"So why are you acting like a bitch huh?"

Timmy glared at his boss and Jack glared right back. He knew he would not win this contest so he backed down.

"Despite the fact I'm supposed to be you in every way, I hoped I was still a decent person. The more I do on Elpis, the less decent I become. It bothers me ok. I made her a promise, I broke it. Yes I had no choice no real choice but that doesn't change the fact I've become a murdering hypocrite."

Jack cocked an eyebrow and gave him a look that screamed 'you're crazy'. He shook his head.

"You think about this stuff way too much kiddo. Ask anyone, Nisha, Athena, Lilith, Roland, hell ask Mox. You don't think about these things. You just...do them."

"Maybe that's where people like me are different from people like you." Jack grabbed his neck, it looked like a comforting gesture but jack squeezed hard enough to make Timmy wince.

"You and I are the **same person**. Got it? We have to be dammit."

"Got it boss." his voice was tight with pain. Jack held on a little longer, then slowly relaxed his grip and started massaging where he'd squeezed.

"Good." his million dollar smile came back and he leaned in a little closer. "God you're tense, don't give me any snark, I know why. In fact here…"

He got up and stood behind Timmy, now applying both hands to his neck and rubbing.

"Um-Jack I don't thhhh….oooooh."

That felt way too good way too quickly, Timmy melted to the point he had to hang on to his bar stool. He damn near curled up and purred as Jack slowly worked the muscles and tendons on his neck.

"That's it kitten, relax." Jack's honeyed voice sounded like something off a meditation tape. He tapped Timmy's shoulders and tugged at his jacket. He was a little too eager for more massaging to argue. He threw the jacket over the bar and stood when Jack beckoned him. He ended up with legs apart, braced against the bar as Jack worked his back. While only a couple of people had been staring at Jack and Nisha shake everything they had, almost the whole bar was watching Timmy get his back kneaded into oblivion by Jack.

A couple of minute groans slid out of his throat as Jack really pressed into the muscles around his lower spine. That felt so good he pushed off the bar a little.

"Ooh, hold that pose kitten." Timmy could practically hear Jack licking his lips.

"Keep...rubbing...then."

Jack balled his hands and pressed his knuckles into Timmy's back in response. He kept working his double until he heard quick whispers accompanied by giggles. Normally this wouldn't bother Jack in the slightest in fact it egged him on but when it came to his Other Jack, he was selfish.

"Moxxi's got some extra rooms up top, I already paid her for a few hours use of them. Wanna go up for some private time?"

Timmy stood up with a groan and a pop of the spine. Jack waggled his eyebrows as he faced him, hoping for the best outcome. Timmy eyed him with a slack and tired look, then shrugged.

"You can come up with me, but no hanky panky. I need sleep, as much as I can get."

"Awwwwwww…" Jack exaggerated the hell out of his disappointment.

"How long has it been since you slept boss?"

"I don't need to sleep as much as you do couch potato." Jack followed behind Timmy's slow steps like an eager puppy.

"How long?" he pressed again.

Jack heaved a sigh.

"Ok, boring sleep it is."

Timmy had shrugged out of his clothes fairly quickly. The filthy set ended up balled into a corner. Jack took a little more time laying out his own as he undressed. Timmy didn't watch him at first but as he heard the jingling of a belt being undone he turned over. Jack started pushing his tight jeans and underlying garments down when Timmy snapped his fingers.

"Hey, boxers on bucko."

Jack gave him a look which then turned into a small sneer. Maybe he liked how close to his own character that remark was. He obeyed Timmy's rule and strode up to the bed.

"Roll over."

"Why?" Timmy asked. Jack rolled his eyes.

"You never spooned before? Wow you did not have much luck dating."

Timmy grunted and turned over, and felt the other man clamber into the small bed. He scooted up to him and first wrapped legs around his, then matched his body to Timmy's before snaking one arm over his and the other under his pillow. With Jack behind him he could put the things that normally bugged him out of his mind. He could just relish the intimate contact he'd spent far too many hours daydreaming about.

Jack nuzzled his nose in Timmy's hair for a few moments, then sighed heavily and leaned up.

"Do we really have to stick to the fluffy stuff? I mean if this was after the bumping and grinding I'd have no problem but this is just going to leave me with blue balls."

"I didn't tell you to spoon me, if you want to stop you can." Timmy mumbled. Jack scoffed and started to turn away.

"But it was really nice." Timmy added.

Jack paused a second and considered. He came back up to his double and squeezed him before settling back down. Maybe, just maybe it would lead to something. Timmy was drifting off quickly but could have sworn he felt Jack kissing and nibbling his neck as he faded away. He was in that state where you are aware of things about you but too close to sleep to give a crap.

'Just don't do me in my sleep, please.' he half thought before passing out.

He slept for several hours weaving in and out of blackness and half baked dreams. When he finally started to wake up he felt an aching in his groin that he first interpreted as the call of nature. Then he realized he was on his back and someone else was wrapped around him; another warm body caressing and kissing his.

'Oh,' he thought, still only half awake, 'I'm turned on. This is new.'

He more and more out of his groggy state and realized that Jack was trailing his lips over his face and running his hands through his hair. Jack already had a full erection that was twitching against Timmy's stomach but he could thankfully feel that both of them still had boxers on. Timmy's palms were already slick, and as he woke his the throbbing in his groin increased.

'This is a nice way to wake up, I guess.' the thought, slowly bringing his hands up to touch Jack's sides.

"Finally." Jack whispered moving to his ear. "Been nearly six hours."

"Mmmm, I needed it." Timmy replied, arching his back a little with Jack's ministrations.

"Now we need something else huh kitten?"

Jack slipped his tongue into Timmy's open mouth and ravished it though more slowly and carefully than normal. Timmy felt more relaxed then he'd been in a long time and resolved to just let things happen. It felt too good to say no now.

Jack's hands got busy fast and soon one was rubbing at Timmy's cock through his boxers while another carefully teased a nipple. Timmy's flinched at little at that, to which Jack's simply chuckled lowering his mouth to take the rosy nub between his teeth. He nipped hard enough that it almost felt painful but Timmy could feel blood rushing down to his already swollen cock in response.

He fisted his hand in Jack's hair and hissed; throwing his head back. Both Jack's hands went into Timmy's boxers and he gripped his dick forcefully then began to slowly pump it. Timmy bucked and clenched the sheets; he was already at the point of climax just from these simple touches. Jack stopped very abruptly and watched his double come back down.

"You are fast babe, so this time around why don't you touch me too?"

For just a second he considered, then gave Jack a nudge. Jack rolled over for him and grabbed one of his hands shoving it beneath his own undergarments. Timmy' breath caught a little when he gripped Jack's cock; this was really something he never thought he'd do. But here he was, and it was not so bad. Anxiety trickled away as he began working Jack's dick like he would his own trying to please the other man as well as he could. It didn't turn out to be too hard; Jack was soon groaning and digging his nails into Timmy's side. Timmy felt like a warm bubble suddenly burst inside his chest as he realized how much his liked this; how much he liked Jack. The man was a wet dream, writhing around on the bed in a pleasure induced haze, his thick dark hair stuck to his forehead and his honeyed voice producing moans worthy of an A list porn star. Timmy dipped his head down and kissed Jack again, breaking it to trail more kisses down his neck and abdomen.

Jack sat up and watched his progress with eager eyes; biting his lip and really hoping that his double would do what he was hinting at. Timmy stopped at his groin, then pulled the boxers down to Jack's ankles and spread his legs a little. He looked at Jack's crotch for a second, then his eyes trailed over to his inner thigh. A strange urge hit him and he indulged it. He leant down and nipped jack's thigh; sucked the taut flesh into his mouth and bite a little harder. Jack hissed, then moaned and grabbed a fistful of Timmy's hair.

Timmy kept going; thoroughly enjoying Jack's reactions and the thought that this would one hellva mark.

"Goddammn...AH, quit that!"

Timmy let and looked up, worried he had done wrong. The lust filled gaze from Jack told him otherwise.

"Go down on me; **now**."

Timmy sucked in a steeling breath and parted his lips over the head of Jack's cock, slowly taking it as far into his mouth as he dared. Having a cock in his mouth was utterly foreign, it was much larger than he expected and hard to accommodate. He was honestly lost on what to do but bob his head up and down. His partner seemed to like that well enough moaning and pushing his hips up further into Timmy's mouth.

After a few minutes Timmy's jaw got sore and he couldn't take it anymore, his lifted his head up and closed his mouth enough to relax the muscles, but kept laving his tongue over Jack's cock. Jack shivered and grinned, then reached for Timmy's chin. He yanked his face up and crooked a finger at him.

Timmy crawled back up to Jack's face and Jack yanked him back down into another kiss before rolling them over. Jack kissed him so long he thought his jaw might just get stuck, but he finally pulled away and reached down to fondle Timmy's erection again.

"Not bad for a first timer." he cooed.

Timmy could only whimper as Jack worked him far better than he had done to Jack.

"I promise, this'll be nice. It'll be great. You made a good choice coming to bed with me."

"Huh?" a confused look came onto his face for a millisecond before being washed off as his eyes rolled back.

"Always lose your cherry to someone who knows what they're doing kiddo. And I know what I'm doing." Jack's voice swelled with pride as his thumb grazed over the tip; wetting with pre cum and then rubbing fluidly over a spot that made poor Timmy convulse.

"Gaaaaaah…" Timmy sucked in a breath and tried to calm himself a little, "Talking...too much. Just-"

"You got it baby."

Jack worked him faster now and caught his lips again, adjusting to lay between Timmy's hips and grind up against him while he jerked him off. Jack chuckled, and it made Timmy laugh too though he didn't know why. Just when he thought he might burst Jack slowed down again and started pulling that last barrier between them down.

Then just outside they heard stomping, stampeding footsteps while Jack's ECHO unit started blaring an alarm. From beyond the door the muffled voices of the other Vault Hunters bellowed about where the hell the two of them were.

Jack growled and fixed his eyes straight ahead. He gave Timmy's cock a few more squeezes before letting go and climbing off him.

"Sorry," he muttered, frustration apparent, "Very sorry. Really sorry." He turned around and gestured to his still engorged cock.

"This sorry!"

"I know" Timmy grunted as he sat up and swung his legs off the bed. "I'm that sorry too."

"Elpis will be even more sorry if we don't hustle, much as I hate it."

Timmy nodded and started dressing. When they were both finished Jack grabbed him and reeled him back into his iron like embrace.

"We get that laser down I'm bringing you to the nearest empty room and fucking you stupid. I mean it, I don't care how we do it, we are doing it."

Those words made a knot deep in Timmy's gut and his still angrily throbbing groin gain back all the gusto it had lost. He licked his lips and only kissed in response. Jack bored his tongue into his mouth and rolled his lips against him. That kind of demanding, passionate, dominating kissing was just as sexy as he had always thought.

Jack broke the kiss without warning, leaving Timmy to stumble dazed and aroused. He shook his head and quickly followed Jack to the door and in a moment of sex boosted confidence gave Jack's ass a sound pinch.

Jack didn't flinch at all, only turned around and winked at him.


	7. Chapter 7

Timmy had started the assault on Helios in a spectacularly good mood. The same man who constantly ground him into the dust had somehow managed to get him feeling like a million bucks even in the middle of the biggest fire fight he'd ever wished he wouldn't see. Even as they dodged bullets and lasers and ran through super weapon powering death traps he felt better than he had since everything started.

He felt better yet when Zarpedon finally showed herself. It was annoying as fuck when she burst out of her ruined power suit but she still went down. Timmy worried just a hint when Jack killed her before she could even finish talking but he couldn't really muster enough emotion to care after everything she had done. It made him shudder to think she had supposedly done it to save the universe. Crazy people can never be understood.

He worried a hell of a lot more when he saw just what exactly was powering his (apparently soon to be lover's) favorite toy.

"WOOO!"

Jack let loose a bronco riding pose as the monstrous eye shot another beam of frightening violet energy at Elpis's core.

"I'm not sure that's fun Jack." he said.

"Eh, you don't know what fun is. Hey, pumpkin…" he leaned on the rail and flashed the eye a flirty smile, "how you doin'?"

The eye focused right on him and made a noise, maybe curiosity, maybe aggression. It dilated as it took Jack in. Timmy worried even more and was incredibly thankful it possessed no mouth or limbs.

"OK Mox, how do we shut this thing down?"

" _ **Carefully. Even ignoring the weird ass eye this type of reactor is highly volatile. You're feeding it something to increase it's power right?**_ "

"A run off from the eridium refinement process. Some the scientists call it slag."

" _ **Alright-**_ " Moxxi cracked her knuckles and took a bracing breath. " _ **do EXACTLY as I say and everything will be fine. Switch three of the flow sequencers to their prime position and reverse the power differential.**_ "

Timmy's eyes crossed and his brain started spasming.

"Ummm…. Moxxi I was a Literature major."

Moxxi sighed.

" _ **Press the thingy until you see purple then press the thingy again**_."

"OK, that makes some sense."

He jumped down to the nearest of the three consoles and pressed it main button. A giant container popped up and cycled through blue, green, red, and then purple substances.

"Uh Moxxi, you sure about this?"

This was the first time Timmy had seen his boss seem squeamish. He shared the sentiment. He pressed the button again and the eyes immediately shook in its mount apparatus and turned the same violent shade of purple as as the slag.

"Uh Mox, I only ever juiced the eye with a little slag at a time. Are you sure that-"

" _ **It won't hurt the eyeball. Trust me sugar**_."

"I don't think its the eye he's worried about Moxxi." Timmy added jumping to the next console. "I know I'm not worried about it."

He repeated the process and this time power waves started flowing between the eye and its mechanical hook ups, the hoses feeding it slag began jumping and writhing like snakes and the eye's pupil dilated down to a knife's blade.

"Mox the eye's freaking out!"

Jack clearly wanted to get the hell of here and Timmy agreed. Moxxi sounded way too calm, not calm; uncaring.

" _ **We need to force as much slag as we can into the eye. The increased power will trip a failsafe and let us shut everything down. The eyeball may not like it, but it'll be fine honey.**_ "

Timmy prepared and then injected the last dose of slag, and for a moment the eye 'screamed' in anguish and then the whole thing powered down.

" _Warning. Space-time instability detected. Entering protective mode._ " A strangely flirty sounded computer chirped. The eye slumped down and the fierce purple glow left it.

" _ **See; just like I said. With the failsafe tripped we can reboot and then the laser will be all yours**_."

"Ok, glad that didn't go as bad as it seemed it would." Timmy gave a strong, relieved exhale and went back up to the main controls. Just before he reached then Jack bolted up and stopped him.

"WAIT! Don't press that button!"

" _ **What's wrong?**_ "

"If the eye starts acting weird again during the reboot I don't want to be anywhere near it."

" _ **Thanks to the failsafes it couldn't possibly do anything other than shut down.**_ "

Damn Moxxi sounded upset. About what?

"Eh, we'll agree to disagree. C'mon lets get back to the command center. With Zarpe-nuts dead we can reboot the laser remotely from there."

"Gotta say I'm with him 100% on this Moxxi, never can be too careful." Timmy gladly followed his boss back to the command center. Jack waited from him as he stepped out of the fast travel and tagged his ass as they walked in. Jack was in a good mood; a very good mood. For a good reason that he soon stated.

"Ok, the bad guys are dead we're about to save the moon and the vault full of cool ass alien stuff is apparently already open. Just shut down the laser and we can get to the fun stuff babe."

'Am I going to have to get used to him calling me that?' Timmy thought as he accessed the controls. 'I think I could'.

" _Reboot sequence activated. Command control reset! Reboot in...5...4...3...2...shutdown aborted_."

Timmy and Jack were absolutely perfect clones in their expressions of shock and no small hint of frustration.

" _Invalid energy configuration._ "

"What in the holy hells now?" Timmy threw his hands up.

"Exactly." Jack added, then Roland's voice came over the ECHO.

" _ **Jack...I'm sorry.**_ "

" _ **I'm not!**_ " Lilith chimed.

" _Warning singularity detected._ "

Far down the satellite the eye core exploded, or maybe imploded. Whatever the proper word a giant and and pants-shitting hole roared open where the eye of Helios was.

"What the hell is-!" Jack was cut short by one more voice.

" _ **Good job everybody**_."

"What?! Moxxi?! What are you doing!?"

"I think we know boss!" Timmy gnashed his teeth as he ran up to Jack, unsure of what else to do as the space sphincter opened wider and wider and began swallowing Dahl dreadnaughts.

" _ **Betraying you, trying to kill you. Two things I should have done a long time ago you power hungry psychopath.**_ "

"Moxxi you're killing me too! I thought-" Timmy stumbled into Jack as he pounded the keys of a computer in desperation.

" _ **I don't like that sugar. You're the decent sort. But his death is more important than your life.**_ "

"Stay by me kiddo!" Jack grabbed him and made him hold on while he kept trying to engage something, anything, that might stop the black hole as it kept growing, roaring, and started taking the station with it. Timmy slumped down Jack's body and ended up hugging his leg. He couldn't stand to look or do anything, he only tried to make himself as small as possible.

" _ **I've been watching you; Jack. And behind that smile, behind that hero complex there's something wrong about you. If you come down from Helios alive a lot of decent people will live to regret it.**_ "

"No no no no NOOOOOO!" Jack screamed and Timmy dared to look. The entire section of the station housing the Destroyer's eye snapped right off and was pulled into the black hole like something from a Salvador Dali painting.

" _ **Bye bye sugar.**_ "

Once the source was swallowed the black hole exploded back out on itself. Jack and Timmy were blown back against the rails behind them, Timmy was sure his back was snapped on impact. The glass between them and vacuum was cracked by debris hitting with the force of a careening freight train. But thank all that was holy it did not shatter. Timmy stood a chance with an Oz kit equipped. Jack had no such insurance policy.

For several minutes Timmy could only lay there, almost certain he was dead. Finally pain bloomed all over him and he had to try to move. His back was not broken, thank all that was holy again. But he was bruised and cut up something awful. He wheezed and nearly sobbed as he crawled up to Jack's immobile form.

He put and hand on his shoulder and pushed him, barely managing to get his name out. He must have screamed himself hoarse though he didn't remember screaming.

"jack...please...jack."

Thankfully Jack began to lift his head. He looked up at Timmy and his mismatched eyes watered for a moment. He coughed and started to choke out some words.

"dammit. DAMMIT! THE EYE!"

Jack managed to lift himself to his knees and kept raving.

"That was **one of a kind**! The things I could have **done**! Friggin liars...friggin cowards!"

He got up and started towards one of the terminals still attached to the floor.

"They're no better than BANDITS!"

To Timmy's amazement Jack tore the whole thing right up out of the floor and heaved it towards the window, cracking it further but still not breaking it. Safety glass, it had to be safety glass.

"Boss?" he croaked out. Jack was still staring out the window in a bottomless frothing rage. Timmy got up and hobbled over to him.

"Boss what now?"

Jack turned to him for a millisecond Timmy thought he might get to receive what was left of his boss's anger and by the gods there was an ocean's worth still left. But Jack calmed himself moderately and threw himself onto Timmy's unsteady shoulders nearly taking them both back down to the floor.

"We'll deal with them ALL in time cupcake." he hissed in Timmy's ear. "For now, we get back down to the moon and find that fucking vault before those fucking back stabbers do."

He pulled back and started looking Timmy over.

"You're hurt bad huh? I'm taking you to med bay first, we'll get you some treatment and then we'll go hunting. Zarpedon said 'a tangle of chemical filth' she must have meant Dahl's old Bakkaberk refinery site."

Timmy nodded at everything he said and Jack put a hand to his chin and lifted his face up.

"Stay with me, you got that? That's a direct order. You stay with me." Jack eyes were intense and boring into him like emotional versions of the lost Eye. He knew full well what Jack meant by that. 'Don't betray me too.'

Timmy nodded again and managed to paste on a weak smile.

"With you...all the way...no matter what." he croaked.

Jack brought him into a bear hug and started helping him back towards the fast travel.

" _ **John!**_ " they both groaned at that voice.

" _ **What's going on up there? The readings we're getting-**_ "

"Shut the hell up Tassiter! SHUT THE HELL UP! My ex-girlfriend and her two bff's just tried to kill me! And the last thing I need right now is your senile ass WHINING IN MY EAR! If I get one more message from you that isn't 'Adda boy Jack!' or 'I'm sending you a big bag of money!' I'm going to reach through my ECHO communicator and GOUGE YOUR EYES OUT WITH MY PINKIES! ARE. WE. CLEAR?"

" ** _I...Goodbye John._** "

"Goodbye! Thank you for calling!" Jack looked Timmy straight in the eye and could not stop smiling.

"Hottie."

Timmy gripped his throat and swallowed.

"So we do kinda think the same after all."

"Hot-tie."

"Psh." Timmy waved away his boss's adoring stare. "The dumbass makes it easy huh?"

"Volcanoes are jealous of your hotness." Jack kept going as they approached the fast travel.

"Just because I just did what you probably only dreamt of…"

"Means I'm not standing by while you go hunting this time. You're going to have company kiddo."

8 hours was the longest break he'd gotten yet. It was almost heavenly. The injuries he'd accumulated were tended to rather easily. Jack as it turns out had some minor internal bleeding and a broken collarbone that need to be treated as well. They got themselves patched up and kitted up and headed right back down to Elpis to do what they had meant too all long. Find an alien treasure vault.

Jack looked pretty good manning the turret of Timmy's preferred zoomy model as they made their way to the refinery site Zarpedon had unintentionally mentioned. Timmy wasn't the greatest as driving the things yet especially when adding in low gravity. He took a large bump and miscalculated how long it would take them to reach ground. When they hit he heard a large thump behind him and turned around to see his boss slumped on the floor.

Timmy panicked and clambered into the back to check him; just as he was putting a hand to his neck to feel for a pulse he heard the heavy breathing. Jack was out cold but not from the impact.

"You really do run yourself into the ground." he mused.

He poked his head out and looked around, spotting another of the many small caves Dahl left around as patrol shelters. He drove the zoomy up and with no small effort picked Jack out of the turret and started carrying him out of the zoomy when he woke up.

"Da fuck?" he cursed groggily. "Wha happen'd?"

"You fell asleep." Timmy stated matter-o-fact. Jack rolled his eyes and started trying to get back into the zoomy.

"Gotta get to the vault…"

"Jack." Timmy caught his jacket and pulled him back. "You fell asleep while we were careening through mid-thin-air. You think that means something?"

Jack made a sound between a sigh and a growl and shrugged his shoulders.

"You didn't sleep while were in the med bay huh?"

Jack walked towards the cave like a prisoner walks to their cell.

"Not much point." he muttered. "My brain won't let me sleep. There's too much to think about."

Timmy was barely into the entrance when Jack turned and grabbed him.

"Help me with that?" he asked. As his face got closer to Timmy's their Oz seals merged like bubbles underwater.

"I…" Timmy didn't have much time to consider before Jack started the inevitable kiss. Kissing Jack had gotten easier; much easier.

He was turned on by Jack and he was mostly ok with that now. Maybe with death pounding down his door for the last several days he had learned to live fast.

He wrapped his arms around the other man and tried to massage him a little through his jacket. Jack hummed into his mouth and leaned a little harder on him. They kept kissing, licking and sweetly nipping for a good long time. Timmy's mind slowed to a glacial pace and his whole body warmed up.

Jack shrugged off his jacket and let it puddle on the floor, then pushed Timmy's own off his shoulders. He didn't do much groping, only led Timmy down to his knees with him. They kept up their slow make out session and Jack's hands now wandered up Timmy's shirt, raking his nails along his back lightly and making him shiver.

For just a second Timmy rethought this. They had more important things to do. He also still wasn't completely sure he wanted to do all that. Kissing was one thing but the rest…

"You gonna back out on me?" Jack locked eyes with him as he pulled back from their kiss.

"I dunno...I really don't."

Timmy averted his gaze and chewed his lip. Jack brought his hand up under his chin and made him look up.

"You know I hate people like you. Goody two shoes get under my skin. They never take chances; never risk anything and never win the stuff they cry about wanting."

Timmy felt his stomach sink a little at those words. Not unlike a date who had told him flatly at the end of an expensive evening she would not under any circumstances sleep with him.

"But you babe, you blow me out of the water. Sure you're hot but somehow you manage to be everything I love to see and hate to see. You've got me by the balls, you know that? Wanna know why?"

How did that manage to sound dirty? Timmy gulped and nodded.

"Lemme hear you say it." Jack's mouth twisted into a small sneer. He would not give up such sensitive goods without a little down payment first. Without thinking Timmy mimicked his sneer.

"Why have I got you by the balls, boss?"

Jack's face softened and surprised him.

"You're just like me but…" he swallowed hard like he might cry if these words came out, "You're a better man than I am...Tim."

You couldn't have shocked Timmy more if you had strapped him into the chair at Sing Sing. Not the confession, but the name, the name got him. Nobody had ever called him 'Tim', and on top of that Jack had until now made damn sure Timmy knew they were the same person. Same mind, same looks, same arrogance, same saunter, just different bodies. Now Jack was telling him he liked, almost loved his body double for being the person he really was.

A smile blossomed on Tim's face; it started slowly almost shyly but quickly grew as he watched another smile on Jack's. Before either smile could reach their full radiance though they kissed again and this time Tim abandoned reason and happily let passion rule.

Jack fell against the hard metal plated floor as Tim's weight hit him. They rolled around for several minutes, Jack wedging his hand down the front of Tim's pants and stroking him feverishly while their mouths remained locked.

Tim was yanking Jack's shirt up his torso when he heard his OZ kit give its 50% warning. He grunted, reached for his pistol without breaking the snog then flipped them over so Jack could pin him down. Jack was still on top of him as he raised his pistol just enough and took a shot. His boss nearly jumped out of his skin but it had it's intended effect. The control panel by the door took the shot, shorted, and the automatic safety measure activated the OZ seal.

"Scared me kiddo." Jack snapped.

"Sorry boss."

He grinned and shoved a hand up Tim's shirt to pinch a nipple.

"But it was hot."

Tim bit back a gasp and chewed his lip. He wasn't into the whole nipple play thing thing just yet. Jack made a small noise of disapproval and released his grip; instead running a fingernail over it. That felt oddly good, very close to a sting but not enough to be unpleasant. Tim relaxed and felt a rush of blood through his body.

"So not so much rough stuff." Jack mused, brushing his lips against Tim's as he spoke. "Fine, it is your first after all."

He pushed his hand back down his double's pants and gripped his fast hardening member firmly.

"I told you picked well. I'm gunna live up to that."

Tim huffed out his breathes as Jack expertly jerked him up. He swallowed heavily and lifted a hand up to Jack's shoulder, slowly traveling up to his face.

"What's up gorgeous?" Jack's voice was soft but no less sinfully sexy.

"Not sure...what else too..." Jack shushed him and regrettably released his hold on Tim's now engorged cock.

"Undress me." His boss gave him a firm order and hauled him up onto his knees. "That's what you do."

Tim's hands trembled as much as they sweated as he peeled off Jack's layers. He kissed and caressed as much as he could, and Jack seemed to appreciate it. Once he was naked Tim gulped and drank in the sight of him.

'This guy is going to be my first' he thought. Jack grinned under his lusty stare and held his arms out. He knew exactly what was going through his boss's mind. 'Yeah Jack, I'm taking it all in. I think you're right. I think you'll be good to me.'

Jack was far less gentle and timid in stripping him. Tim was naked in less than a tenth of the time. Even as Jack lay on top of him sampling his ear and making him squirm he shivered. Elpis was cold but he'd not had the opportunity to notice till now.

Jack assumed he was shivering from pleasure and it goaded him on. He made a quick line down to Tim's dick and sucked him again. Tim made strangled cry and dug his nails into Jack's back and shoulders. This time around he was noisy as all fucking hell and Jack absolutely loved it. Tim's back arched and he left bloodied scratches on Jack's back; he felt like his new lover might just suck his dick off but he'd damned if this wasn't the best thing he'd yet felt.

Jack stopped abruptly and Tim came down from near orgasm panting and sweating like a marathon runner.

"N-na-now w-what?" he managed between gasps.

"Depends on you sweet cheeks."

Jack's free hand wandered down Tim's inner thigh, brushing his sack and taint before finding his asshole a little too easily. He massaged and caressed the small ring of muscle gently but Tim still stiffened up instinctively.

"Try to take a little." Jack cooed. His lifted his hand to his mouth and sucked his own finger in the most slutty way possible. Tim was a bit dazed by that sight and did not have much time to stop him when he quickly brought his wet finger back to his hole. Tim clenched more than his teeth when he felt the intrusion.

"God damn…" Jack said those words almost reverently, "I forgot just how tight a virgin can be."

He twisted his finger around and began a small rhythm. To Tim's surprise the movement was easier to tolerate. He loosened up just a bit but it still was not pleasant.

"You will be sweeter than...than...god damn I can't even think of what. I'm looking forward to it." Jack pushed his finger a little farther and increased his rhythm. Tim writhed underneath him; he couldn't stand much more of this.

"But it won't be today, obviously." the invading finger was finally removed and Tim let out a relieved sigh.

"We'll work on this cupcake." Jack crawled back up his body to kiss him again. "Wanna take a ride stud?"

Tim's eyes went as wide a frying pans.

"Cc-can...um-I…"

"That's a yes." Jack grinned.

"How?" Tim was now panicking a little. Anal sex was even further beyond his knowledge than 'normal' sex. Even in the pornos things for that were wildly different than his current situation.

"Calm down, you'll give yourself a hernia." Jack tugged him up and took his place laying on the floor.

"I will tell you what to do, just relax and do it, ok?"

Tim faltered for a moment. He closed his eyes and tried to brace himself.

"Touch yourself." Jack's voice snapped him back.

"Huh?"

"Stroke yourself, don't lose the mood."

Jack was running his own hand up and down his generous length and Tim suddenly could not stop staring at it, taking in every little detail. The attention made Jack a little thicker and Tim could see a fine sheen of sweat start to glisten on his skin.

"You want me? Think about. Here I am, god's own gift to Pandora and I'm offering myself to you on a silver platter. Your first time will be hot and wet and dirty and it'll be inside me."

Tim felt his brain short out from lack of blood when Jack said 'inside me'. There was no more rationality, he operated on lust now. His own mismatched eyes burned into Jack's now and he brought his hands to his lover's cock, swatting Jack's hand away and pumping him. Tim had the kind of confidence now that made Jack drool.

"Hemph-that's good. I knew...you'd like that."

He grabbed one of Tim's hands and shoved two of his fingers in his mouth. He sucked them with as much enthusiasm as he had Tim's cock. It was an intolerably hot sight. It didn't last long though. He pushed the wet fingers down it his own ass.

"I can take more than you, put both in me."

Tim gulped and pushed slowly into the other man's entrance. Jack moaned they way he imagined a woman would moan when he entered her. Was the man reading his bloody thoughts? Whatever, it looked good, it sounded good, it felt good.

"Mm, move them dammit."

Tim did as he was bade and pulled his fingers out, then thrust back in again. Jack was right, he was looser and had more control over his body. Tim could soon put in as much force to his his thrusts as if he were snapping his own hips into Jack and dear god he wanted to.

He and Jack were hard as stone and oozing pre, Jack was putting on a bit of a show for his new bed mate but was enjoying this immensely. After several long minutes of finger fucking Jack told him to take them out and spit in his hand.

"Get yourself as wet as you can." he said as he threaded his legs between Tim's arms and torso. With spit and pre it wasn't difficult to get slick. Jack sat up and climbed right up into his lap, grinning like some porno version of the cheshire cat that whole time. Tim couldn't help but smile too. He was more excited than he could remember being.

Jack reached around and grabbed Tim's cock from behind guiding it to his hole and with a groan slowly sinking on to it. It was hard not to come right there but Tim fought it, even pinching his own leg. Jack hilted him with ease and the sensation of finally, really being inside someone else...there was no describing it. Tim felt like he might burst, from orgasm, from love, from pleasure, from everything.

He didn't think at all about what he was doing or saying, he just grabbed Jack as tight as he could and humped up into him hard and fast. Jack stopped him though, smiled, and pushed him back into his elbows.

"Still got some learning to do cupcake, ya nearly fell out."

Tim laughed nervously but forgot any embarrassment as Jack rode him. Tim moaned and convulsed beneath him, the motions of his hips and the force of the thrusts made every nerve in Tim's body sing. He jerked his hips and to his delight it made Jack whimper. He tried to repeat the motion and pretty soon his could move in tandem with his lover. Jack was now getting lost as quickly as Tim.

A dominant part of him bubbled up; he wanted a little masculine pride; he wanted to make his intolerably gorgeous boss come for him. He gripped Jack's bobbing member and jerked him hard and fast, snapping and twisting his wrist like Jack had. He made Jack nearly scream and thrust even harder.

Jack's finish came quick, he slammed himself into Tim's hips and went stiff as a board, coating his partner's chest and stomach. Tim couldn't believe he could feel Jack's orgasm inside of him. He let go of his cock and grabbed his hips, snapping up with a vengeance and reaching his own violent climax.

After he spent his load Jack climbed off him and tried to pull the man close. He did not get an argument. They slept a few hours, not caring about getting cleaned up or discussing things. That shit could could wait. So could the vault, at least for awhile


	8. Chapter 8

That vault, Tim did not remember what he ever expected. What appeared to be a technological pocket universe; he didn't expect that. While he did count on the thing being guarded, he could never have dreamed by what though. He was more grateful than he could say to have the other four vault hunters with him to fight the sentinel and the the sentinel on steroids.

When it went down with a bang Tim actually cried out in relief and laid down on the floor.

"Oooooh myyyyyy gooooood I'm so glad that's over!"

Everyone around him was celebrating in some fashion and looking over the smorgasbord of money, weapons and treasures the sentinel had practically wept. Tim heard quick footsteps coming up to him.

"Hey buttercup, get up." Jack swept up next to him and extended a hand, "Don't go soft on me now."

He grasped it and let Jack haul him up, then put an arm around his waist and bring him in close. Jack lightly touched his nose to Tim's and held his gaze with a burning intensity.

"It only starts here kiddo. Step one complete. Step two is getting whatever weapon is in here down to Pandora."

"Step three; profit?" Tim quipped.

Jack chuckled.

"Something like that. You're gonna be my right hand man ya know." before Tim could respond Jack devoured his mouth, Tim could hear Nisha give a jealous gasp and Claptrap screamed 'ew!'. Neither one of them gave a shit. When Jack pulled away Tim little out a little satisfied hum.

"Right hand man huh? That entails what exactly?"

"Lots of wonderful things." Jack said with a devious grin, "By the way, I still owe you a high five and a turbomansion for killing Zarpe-nuts. So-"

Tim lifted a hand and Jack smacked with gusto.

"The turbomansion will take a little longer." Jack said, walking towards the center of the vault.

"I can wait." Tim said. 'I think I have a boyfriend.' he thought. 'I think that's what he meant. That's a different way of asking, well more like telling someone you're with them.'

"Keep an eye out for the red one; I don't wanna get interrupted."

Jack surveyed the vault and his eyes came to rest on the tiny vault symbol hovering over the spot where the sentinel had collapsed.

"What?!" he yelled in outrage, "That's it, that's what we've been busting our asses for?"

Tim knew better than to judge the little thing like that. Literature 101, the magical maguffins are always deceptively small.

"Jack, I think…" Tim came closer and was reaching out to him when Jack waved him away and reached out to touch the symbol.

"What kind of weapon…"

The moment he made contact the began to spin, light radiating from it's center. The light went straight to Jack's mismatched eye and he was lifted up and placed in a stone throne. Knowledge, more than knowledge, pure truth flooded into Jack's small and barely comprehending mind. He laughed in rapture and screamed that he could understand everything, see everything.

Tim was not inspired by this. He was terrified he knew in his gut and in his head this was bad. He didn't know how much so until the worst began to unfold. Jack's vision continued and suddenly a violet rip appeared and out stepped Lilith. Tim didn't have time to wonder where she'd come from or how she'd followed them.

"Hello handsome."

With those words she punched the vault symbol in front of Jack's face. It exploded like a hand grenade but with the force of a full bomb. It exploded right into Jack's face. Tim and the others were knocked onto their asses. The wind left his lungs and no matter how much he wanted to he could no move a muscle as Lilith sauntered past; her work done.

When he managed to get up he could hear Jack's anguished cries. He couldn't get to him quick enough. Jack was writhing about on his hands and knees, screaming, crying, growling, and clutching his face. Tim was choked by the smell of burning flesh as he got close, he could hear the wounds still sizzling. Steaming drops fell to the floor beneath Jack's face, some ruby colored, others clear.

"Jack! Talk to me!"

Jack sucked in quick breaths and tried to control his screams.

"That bitch!" he kept hissing. "She'll pay! They'll all pay!"

"Yes she will." Tim cursed lowly. He put his hands on Jack's shoulders and tried to bring him close.

"Stay with me boss."

"You're gunna find me a doctor." Jack said, still not taking his hands away from his face.

"Yes, yes I will, I'm taking you straight back to Helios. Here," He tried to get Jack's arm over his shoulders, "lean on me."

Jack yanked himself away and crawled towards the throne. He kept talking as if he hadn't even heard Tim.

"You're gonna find me a doctor, then...then we're gonna wake the Warrior."

"What?" Tim watched as Jack finally put his hands down. That face that Tim had been crafted to mirror perfectly was now marred beyond all recognition. The vault symbol was seared over it, blinding Jack's green eye and pressed into his once flawless skin. He remaining eye wept profusely and a trail of blood oozed from the ruined eye making a long rivulet of red down the wound.

Despite what must have been excruciating pain, Jack began to laugh as he sat back in the throne.

"Its gonna be so good. We're going to scorch the freakin planet in fire. There's going to be screaming! Bandits dying left and right! I can't wait!"

Jack kept laughing and raving and Tim began to reach out to him again. Then he heard people running away. The other vault hunters were making a break for it. He understood. Here they had witnessed the birth of a madman. They wanted nothing to do with that.

Tim looked back to Jack. Again something deep into him implored him to reach out.

"Jack, look at me!" he screamed. Jack still didn't hear him.

In a split second he saw everything that would happen. Hyperion would be Jack's, Pandora would be Jack's, every vault would be Jack's. But so would every death, every travesty, every atrocity, every massacre, every horrible thing that could happen would. And he would be in the center of it all, a madman for a lover, clinging to some pipe dream of happiness. Jack had made him do bad things, he'd make him do still worse. He might even do worse to Tim himself.

Tim wasn't sure how long knelt there thinking about all this. When he did get up Jack was still lost to him. He wanted to reach out and touch him he knew that's stir the man back to reality, at least as close as Jack might be able to get now.

But he didn't. He made himself turn; slowly and take the first step to the exit. He walked calmly, deliberately, his heart screaming and pounding inside his chest like it wanted to escape. He knew full well what he was doing. He knew it would hurt the most right now and he knew that if he avoided the pain and stayed he'd hurt for years to come.

Just before he reached the exit he heard Jack start screaming for his followers. He tuned around; Jack's voice was still joyous and he didn't yet realize what was going on. Tim stepped out of the chamber and left his first behind. If he heard Jack call for him angered or hurt he'd turn back. His resolve would have crumbled. He needed to leave now and cut ties with Hyperion and everything else. He would have to hide well and likely die young; but lets be honest; that's what he would have ended up doing no matter what, right?


	9. Chapter 9

A glass of good whiskey on the rocks was plunked down in front of Tim by the bartender.

"I didn't order this." he murmured.

"I know, its from the little lady at the other end of the bar." The large man said, walking away. Tim turned to see a luscious woman with dark, long hair and saccharine blue eyes looking at him like a kid with braces looks at a candied apple.

He still got too many admirers, even after he added a few scars to his face. He'd grown his hair out over the past three years and the therapy that changed its color had begun to wear off. With scars, grey eye contacts, and muddy brown/blonde hair he managed to keep people from comparing him to the head of Hyperion. But that did not stop them from liking him. He gave her a nod and took a small sip from the glass. Probably the most expensive whiskey the rundown little joint had.

The woman came over to him and talked, she winked, touched his arm and licked her lips for him. He finished the drink and she got them another round. By now Tim knew better than to drink and flirt. Sober he could keep people away and think with his better head. Even tipsy he thought with his smaller one. He tried to turn her down but she insisted and got pissy when he tried to walk away.

To avoid a fight he finished the second round. By that time she was hanging off him, draping her arms around his broad shoulders and tangling her fingers in his hair. He was tipsy; careening into drunk territory and he knew it. She however was heading there even faster than him as she ordered a third whiskey. He started to think that this was likely just some slutty woman out for a fun night, and not an assassin sent by Jack.

She probably had a husband, maybe even some kids at home. She probably easily remembered when she was a kid and wondered where the fuck her life had gone wrong. She likely wanted to lay him so she could feel worth a damn.

As he finished his third round he couldn't argue with that kind of thinking. Rachel he found out her name was. People around knew her, called out to her by name. More proof she was no hunter. They danced a little, he swept her off her feet figuratively and literally. She whispered hot and dirty things in his ear and begged him make her feel like a woman again. Wadda ya know, he was right. Unhappy marriage, uncaring husband. At least, unsatisfying husband. He'd left behind no short string of broken marriages and hearts since he'd gotten back to Pandora. He'd tried to cut down on ties to people but this was a forbidden pleasure that was hard to resist. When they left the bar Tim carried Rachel down the street to his motel room. He put her on the bed and asked whether she wanted something slow and sweet or rough and fast. He always asked his partners how they wanted it. He thought it was both sexy and considerate, and they tended to agree.

Rachel's selection was rough and slow, earning a chuckle from him. He was thorough, mapping out every plane and feature of her body, teasing and licking her into a wild orgasm before nearly bending her in half and fucking her like they would die in the morning. She babbled praise to him, keening and moaning as he rode her. When they were done he pressed his body up to her, giving her the intimacy and affection she complained was missing from her marriage. Tim felt a little ache as she hummed in satisfaction. Spooning and cuddling as nice as it was brought back bittersweet memories.

He did his best to push them away and fall asleep. When Rachel heard him start to snore she pried herself out from under him with a surgical skill. She had plenty of practice sneaking away from her husband's bridegroom clasp.

She got up and quietly dressed herself, gathered her purse and gave the room one last look over before heading to Tim's holster on the bedside table. Her heart pounded and a lump rose in her throat as she put the barrel of the gun to the back of Tim's head. She squeezed her eyes shut when the shot rang out and she felt a warm spray hit her. She grimaced and ran into the bathroom to clean the mess up. She hadn't expected so much blood.

When she was clean enough to make the trip home she rushed past the bed and slipped out the door, gingerly closing it behind her. She wasn't two steps down the walkway to the stairs when a tall figure sauntered up them.

"Well kiddo?" Handsome Jack flashed her a grin and cocked an eyebrow, his mask twisting with the expression.

Rachel handed him the gun and he felt the barrel and checked the chamber. A shot had been recently fired.

"Clean?" he asked pointedly.

"Back of the head like you said. He was asleep."

A small sigh slipped out of Jack and he furrowed his creamy brow. He hadn't wanted her to see that.

"Not bad for your first. Get going now." He stepped past her and patted her butt.

Rachel rushed down the stairs and around the corner. By the time the scream got to Jack he was already standing in the motel room. He flicked on a bedside light and Tim's relaxed face was bathed in soft light.

"So the easy bitch did do like I told her. Good. You deserved to go quietly."

He sat down on the bed next to Tim and sighed audibly, sweeping his legs up onto the covers and sitting in silence for a moment. He reminisced about the dead man next to him, thinking about the few times they had together and daydreaming about what he would have done if Tim had not abandoned him.

"I do understand, kind of." he said out loud, his voice cracking slightly.

"I didn't for a long time, but lately, I got to thinking and I get you. I know what I'm like now. Truth is I was never far from this. All this…" he swept his hand over his mask, "just brought it out front and center."

His eyes passed over Tim's peaceful form, they glimmered a little in the low light.

"You're the last. No one after you. Not ever. Can't let anyone get close. Not even Nisha. You taught me that no one... can stand to be that close."

He laid down and gingerly put an arm over Tim. He was still warm.

"I know you would have ended up like this no matter what. Like I said, I know myself now. I would have done...something. But...I really really really wish you'd have tried. You'd have been better off than anyone on Pandora, even me."

He leaned up and carefully, like it might fall apart in his hand, tilted Tim's head up and kissed his unmoving lips. He massaged his lips against Tim's letting some of his long buried feelings spill out. When he pulled away his shook his head and collapsed on the bed; even now wondering if he had made a mistake. He let himself imagine being able to walk up to Tim and hug and kiss him like nothing bad had ever happened.

The one time they'd met face to face after Elpis Jack had offered to take him back, sort of. More of an insinuation but Tim had stared at the loaders flanking him and turned tail. Even without said incident, Jack knew better than to think Tim would come back. He was decent, and smart he knew better than to get involved with Handsome Jack. It was just rotten luck for both of them he already was.

"I kept my promise you know. Well, obviously you don't but still. I paid your family, like a lot." he chuckled and covered his eyes as they stung, willing the tears away, "No one else in your family will need to take out student loans for at least a few generations. If they're smart. But they made you so maybe. And I am going to cremate you. And… and I'm going to spread your ashes myself. Its stupid, but I can not let anyone else do this."

He glanced away and balled his fist, jealousy plain in his eyes.

"You're mine as much as I've been yours all these years. You made me proud, and mad with all that sleeping around. But I could tell you didn't give a flying fuck about any of them." He looked down on Tim's body with possessive pride.

"You can't just spring back from me babe, and I sure as shit can't come back from you. So…" he leapt off the bed and and brushed his clothes off, "I'm going to send you off the way the last person Handsome Jack will ever love should be. Quietly, but with dignity."

"I hope I see you on the other side one of these days." he murmured as he walked out the door. Outside some Hyperion soldiers were waiting with a body bag. Jack motioned them inside calmly.

He wanted to bark at them to be gentle but he could not give away that this one was at all special. Tim's lifeless body was carried out somewhat unceremoniously and carted onto a Hyperion technical. Jack actually was true to his word, he had paid Tim's family staggering amounts disguised as a galaxy wide tax free lottery, and he did have Tim cremated. He picked up his love's ashes incognito, disguised for the only time ever, and took them straight away to his home planet.

That planet was in an autumnal kind of season, lots of gold and red in the foliage hinted with green. The cliffs Tim had specified were nothing less than picturesque. The college he had graduated from stood proud in the valley far below. Jack's mind wandered all over the place as he stood far from prying eyes atop the cliffs, copper urn in hand. He imagined venturing down through time to follow Tim around from class to class, and he imagined bringing his love here alive and having a fun and very X-rated picnic beneath these trees. He thought maybe Tim had wanted to do something similar while here.

The weight of the urn in his hands reminded him every time he drifted off that Tim was gone and Jack only had another indelible scar to mark his lost dreams. He lifted the top of the urn and slowly let the ashes fall out, lifted up by the wind and scattered over the forest. It hurt to see the ashes fly away, like Tim was running from him yet again.

Jack told himself he'd catch him again one day, someday when he couldn't outrun death any more he'd find Tim again and remind him why no one could resist him.

"I love ya, don't you dare forget it." Jack whispered to the wind, then threw the urn over the cliff and walked away.


End file.
